Mark F. Kessenich, Jr.

Mark F. Kessenich, Jr., 62 of Palm Beach, Florida died Tuesday, March 20th at his home in Westhampton, New York after a 6-1/2 year struggle with ALS (Lou Gehrig disease). He is predeceased by his wife, Beverly Barry Kessenich, his parents, Hazel Johnstone Kessenich and Mark F. Kessenich, Sr. He is survived by a daughter, Barbara Kessenich Robertson of Greenville, South Carolina, Mark F. Kessenich III of Westhampton, New York, Paul Kessenich, of New York City, and his sister, Joanne K. Knief of Ocala, Florida. Mr. Kessenich is also survived by eight grandchildren and by Diane Kessenich, mother of his three children.

Mark was a graduate of Notre Dame University and Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and was a captain in the United States Marine Corp. Upon graduating from business school Mark joined Citibank, N.A. as a trader in municipal bonds. Within a few years he was seconded to the Municipal Advisory Panel, to assist in the restructure of the debt of New York City. Over the ensuing 34 years he enjoyed an extraordinary career, achieving a nearly legendary status as a master bond trader and Wall Street Operator. By the mid-1980's he had transformed Citibank into a bond trading power, at which point he was given responsibility for all of the bank's trading and investment banking activities in North America. He also was elevated to the Citibank Policy Committee, that organization's highest management council. Mr. Kessenich was a regular advisor to the United States Treasury through his membership on the Treasury Advisory Committee of the Bond Market Association, upon which he served until 1996.

In 1986, Mr. Kessenich resigned from Citibank to join an effort to rescue a struggling E.F. Hutton. After that firm was merged into Shearson-Lehman in 1988, he founded Eastbridge Capital Inc., a bond-trading firm in New York. Mr. Kessenich was President and CEO for nearly 10 years and continued to serve on the Treasury Advisory Committee until his illness forced his retirement in 1998. Mark continued to be active even into the late stages of his disease. An avid golfer, Mark carried a one handicap until the onset of his illness. He was privileged to serve as president of Westhampton Country Club.

In 1998, he established and financed the Kessenich Family MDA/ALS Center at the University of Miami medical school, an organization that assists victims of ALS and their families to improve the quality of their remaining life.

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Next event June 14, 2010