- In mid-November, retired Shafter High School teacher Mark Morales was killed in a hit-and-run accident near his home. On Friday, ahead of Morales' celebration of life and funeral, 23ABC spoke with Morales' wife and former colleagues to learn more about who he was and commemorate his contributions to the Shafter community
- Everyone who spoke with 23ABC noted that Morales was a great teacher and even better person, who cared for his students and wanted to see them succeed in their studies and beyond.
- On Dec. 16, the Morales Family is celebrating Mark's life from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 12405 Jumper Avenue in Wasco.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It has been a somber few weeks for many within the Shafter community following the passing of retired teacher Mark Morales. Morales was a part of the Ag program here at Shafter High School and we at 23ABC spoke with a handful of people who knew loved and respected Morales. Here are their thoughts:
“How I will remember him now is how much he loved me and loved our — our boys, our family, and everything that he did that he did, you know, for us," said Denise Morales
"Mark was very meticulous. He wanted to do things the correct way and wanted to teach kids how to do things the correct way. And Mark was very respected for that. Not just by staff, but also by students," said Darin Sundgren.
"He was in his niche, his passion. And when you have something that you do, it's not a job. It's easy to get people to want to gravitate towards that. And he did it very well," said Doug Thompson.
And while Morales was known and respected for being a great teacher and person, he did have a few quirks that people couldn’t help but notice.
"I met him over 30 years ago. As long as I've known him, he's always carried a fanny pack and that's always the mystery always students asked, 'What do you have in there?' And then he would of course say, 'Oh, I can't tell you. I can't tell you what I have. It's a secret,'" said Denise. “That was one thing as he was very well known for his fanny pack. And then his mustache is just — if you've seen pictures, it's amazing. Nobody could have a mustache like that.”
“The mustache, he cut it off every year for graduation. And he'd grow back, you know, thicker and more full next year, but that's just one of his traditions,” said Thompson
“At graduation, he would clean up and get a haircut, shave his mustache off, and dress in a suit. And kids were very excited about that every year.”
Currently, the family has two dates to remember Morales his life we’ll have those details in this story on our website.
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