Mark
Clarence
Mark Hufford
|
Mark |
Clarence |
| Mark was born in Caracas, Venezuela on March 7, 1959. He and his wife Gina have three children, Josh, Jessica and Cody. They have resided in Albuquerque since 1993 when they moved from Los Angeles. Mark has also lived in Houston, San Antonio, Worcester, Massachusetts, Hartford, Connecticut, Washington D.C., and Long Island, New York. Mark's daughter Jessica was the first prenatal member of the Adams Family. She flew with her mother two months before she was born. |
| When Mark and Gina first arrived in Albuquerque, they rented in the Taylor Ranch area. As it turned out, they had moved in next door to Bob and Marge Woodall. As they met and became friends, Bob invited them to "go ballooning". Once was enough to convince them that ballooning was a great sport. Mark says, "I got into ballooning either because I was hooked or a lack of intelligence, I'm not sure which". He and Gina crewed for Bob for the next two years before Bob offered to sell them one of his balloons. It was a 75K Adams pop-top. It was right at Christmas time and Mark was searching for an appropriate name. He relates what happened next, "I did not want to depart from the Angel namesake, quite the contrary. We took the Angel naming very seriously. You see, we searched desperately for a fitting Angel name but the then un-named Clarence had few descriptive qualities from which to derive an appropriate name; With the exception of the two green squares on the balloon's equator and jaded angel was already spoken for. The previous name, Angel Dancer was maintained by the previous owner for his new balloon leaving poor Clarence without a name of his own. (I can feel the tears welling up in your eyes). It was at the Red Rock Christmas time rally that the name Clarence evolved. We were in the hotel lobby when one of the Bob's crew asked what we were we going to name our new balloon. After explaining our dilemma, I said we may even name it Christmas Angel since it was sort of a Christmas present even though it somehow lacked the traditional red and green that you would associate with such a name. Or maybe Drunken Angel? Probably not a wise name in case of any improbable future FAA related situations. That's when Joel, mentioned the angel in It's a Wonderful Life, "Clarence". I like it! Simple, no colors or balloon descriptives involved, it has a Christmas ring to it, it was the 25 year anniversary of the movie, it symbolizes hope and faith even at the worst of times, and best of all it baffled the shit out of so many of the Adams crew. "Is it Clarence Angel or Angel Clarence?" Its just Clarence, you know, "Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings", from the movie? You know the drunk and happy angel that saved Jimmy Stewart from killing himself? The puzzled looks just tickled me inside. I could not resist the irony and humor of it. And so, the name stuck. If I ever buy another balloon I may call it Zuzu's Petals. The angel relationship there? I'll let that one sit for a while." . |
| Mark began his pilot training under Bob Woodall in 1996. He has completed ground school and the written test and November 23, 1997 will long live in his memory as the day he gained his pilot's license. He no doubt will also long remember the initiation ceremony, which included an early winter dowsing of everything from beer, wine, champagne and other liquids, which would best be left undescribed. To date Mark has logged over 100 hours of flight time in various balloons. He has flown in Los Lunas, Friends and Lovers, Fiesta, Scottsdale, Taos renegade, Carlsbad, Chama and Angel Fire, Red Rock state park and Elephant Butte Lake as well as Albuquerque. |
| Marks best moment in flying so far is his solo flight and cruising to 10,400 feet, about as high as the top of the Sandia Mountains East of Albuquerque. |
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After the dowsing, Mark is finished off with string spray, whipped cream and confetti. |
| Mark's crew include: |
| Russ Haugan, Crew Chief | Les Fischer | Denise Fischer |
| Joy Haugan | Trish Martin | Ski Karbowski |
| Others from Bob's crew, as needed. | � | � |
| Mark's personal data include: |
| Aeronautical Licenses: Private Pilot's License |
| Day Job: Real Estate Consultant. | Motto: Beer...It's not just for breakfast anymore. |
| Hobbies: Hot Air Ballooning, Skiing, Fly Fishing, Gardening, and Cooking. |
| Favorite quotes: "The facts, although interesting, are irrelevant." unknown "Indecision is the key to flexibility." unknown "You can't depend on your judgment when your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain "When you come to the end of everything you know and are faced with the darkness of the unknown, Faith is knowing one of two things will happen. Either there will be something solid for you to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly." - Barbara J. Winter "You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own. It's just a matter of paying attention to this miracle." Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist |
| You may contact Mark with any ballooning question at: |
 e-mail address: Gina@Reidenbaugh.com |
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Copyright� 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002. Except for educational entities, no reproduction without written permission of The Adams Family Hot Air Balloon Teams is allowed.
