The Cor Chronicle faculty advisor receives civic involvement award
Earlier this week, Mark Zeske, The Cor Chronicle’s very own faculty advisor and the department advisor for the University of Dallas’ Journalism Concentration, was awarded as a High Spirited Citizen of Irving. According to a program from the award ceremony, “Irving’s High Spirited Citizen program was initiated in 1988 by the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau . Its purpose is to recognize and encourage the spirit of volunteerism within the city of Irving.”
Prominent members of the UD community have won this award in the past, including Sybil and Lyle Novinski in 2019, and Sandy Morgan in 1992.
The requirements for the award include “volunteer services benefiting an Irving organization or philanthropy,” and Zeske has done much work to deserve this recognition.
Zeske was on Irving’s Planning and Zoning Commission for five years before leaving in 2020. Hewas then elected to the Irving City Council Board for District 3, on which he remained for three years until 2023. He has also been the director of the Cable Board and the Library Board of Irving.
Zeske also has a great amount of volunteer work under his belt, including volunteering for the Irving Arts Center Granet Review Panel, which reviews and elevates the grants given to Irving Arts Center, participating in Irving 360, a free program created and organized by the City of Irving to educate residents and members of the business community about city government and belonging to the Friends of the Irving Archives and Museum, which supports and advises that institution.
Zeske’s achievements and accomplishments are not restricted to the City of Irving alone. He has also been a children’s liturgy teacher and on the Parish Advisory Board at Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic Church, a judge for the Ben Washington Baptist Church High School Senior Essay & Oratorical Scholarship Contest and has spent 40 years as a coach for Youth Sports in Irving. Zeske has also served the community as a sports referee, officiating over 6,000 youth sporting events.
A local of Irving, Zeske attended Dallas Jesuit as a highschooler. He received his Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Dallas in 1980 and then graduated from the University of North Texas in 1985 with his Master’s in Journalism.
Zeske came to UD in September of 2022 to direct the Journalism program.
One of Zeske’s first jobs was as an English teacher at Irving High School, and he spent 14 years in the Irving Independent School District. He went on to write for Sports Illustrated as early as 2007, covering NASCAR racing. He has also been on the Dallas Morning News and the Irving Rambler covering local Irving politics and dfwVarsity and Fort Worth Star-Telegram for local Irving and Dallas highschool football.
While all of these experiences are laudable, what the High Spirited Citizens award doesn’t consider is that Zeske is also a husband, father, teacher, mentor and role model in his home and here at UD. We are blessed to have him and hope to have him for many years to come.