Donor Feature: Mark Olson's Lasting Legacy
Alyssa Muir, Staff Writer
1/12/2023
Mark Olson absolutely loved Maryland men’s basketball.
He first became a fan when a colleague brought him to a few games back in the Joe Smith era. Soon after, he became a season-ticket holder and a donor himself, making it to as many games as he possibly could.
And for as much as he enjoyed the raucous Cole Field House crowds and the annual quests for ACC Championships, an equally as significant part of Olson’s Maryland basketball experience was getting to share in it all with his family.
“It kinda became our family thing,” Olson’s daughter, Stephanie Hartzberg, said.
A scholarship is such a great reflection of him because education was always really important to him. I think he really enjoyed that mentoring phase of a child to an adult’s life. That part of life—getting through college, figuring out what you wanted to be and developing as a person—he had endless time to help people with that.Stephanie Hartzberg
At their many trips to games together, Olson would patiently explain the rules and tactics to both his wife, Renee Korda, and Hartzberg. He had two season tickets, and was always in attendance as Korda and Hartzberg would trade off taking the second seat every other game.
“He would alternate date nights and dad-daughter nights,” Hartzberg recalled.
The two would also rotate getting to attend the Duke and North Carolina home games, with each one taking one of them every year. During the 2001-2002 season, the same year the Terps’ ended up winning the national championship, Hartzberg was in her freshman year of college at Penn State as Maryland’s home game against Duke approached. Despite being in a different state, Hartzberg was steadfast that she was not going to miss that game—the love for Maryland basketball instilled in her by her father was going to bring her back every time.
Subsequently, it’s that same love for Maryland basketball and all it has meant to the Olson family that made it an easy decision to endow a scholarship in memoriam of Olson, who passed away on September 12, 2018.
“It was a no-brainer,” Hartzberg said.
“That’s right,” Korda added. “A no-brainer. Exactly.”
“Now when we go (to games), it’s just a fun and kind of perfect way for us to see his name and see one of his favorite things and think about him.”Stephanie Hartzberg
For Hartzberg and Korda, who also made a donation to the Barry P. Gossett Performance Center in honor of Olson, a scholarship was a nearly perfect way to honor Olson—encompassing both his generous spirit and his love for education for young adults.
“My dad was a very generous person, especially with his time,” Hartzberg said. “Maryland has benefitted from a financial generosity, but really what he was generous with in his lifetime was his time and his wisdom. He always took time to mentor young people or meet people to talk about career-advice and he was really dedicated to his family. I think that’s a big part of why a scholarship made so much sense.
A scholarship is such a great reflection of him because education was always really important to him,” she added. “I think he really enjoyed that mentoring phase of a child to an adult’s life. That part of life—getting through college, figuring out what you wanted to be and developing as a person—he had endless time to help people with that.”
Olson donated across his multiple avenues—including to his high school hockey program in Fergus Falls, MN—but never wanted the spotlight for it.
“A big thing about my dad was that he was very, very humble,” Hartzberg said. Not only that, but he was a very shared success kind of guy. He was never flashy, he never wanted credit or his name everywhere.”
As a result, a scholarship, something much more under-the-radar than a building wing, felt like the best way to preserve Olson’s legacy for both Korda and Hartzberg.
“It just feels like a really good way to honor him. Especially because it’s with a scholarship, because education was so important. That would have meant a lot to him and that’s how he wanted it to be.”
Currently, Ike Cornish, a redshirt freshman guard from Baltimore, holds the scholarship. Hartzberg and Korda both got to sit with Cornish at a recent Scholarship and Endowment dinner to get to know him.
“Ike was great,” Hartzberg said of the introductory meeting. “He seems like a great kid and it was nice to get to know him.”
Today, Hartzberg and Korda still frequent Maryland men’s basketball games, most recently attending the Terps’ big win over No. 24 Ohio State on Sunday, Jan. 8. And though Olson is no longer there in the flesh, memories of him are everywhere, such as their parking spot that still has his name on it.
The Olson family wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Those are some of our best memories with him,” Hartzberg said. “It was a big part of how our family would spend time together. Without him and the way he watched basketball with us, I’m not sure we would still be as into it as we are today.
“Now when we go, it’s just a fun and kind of perfect way for us to see his name and see one of his favorite things and think about him.”
