Mark Wesley Thomas Pennington

Mark Pennington, 76, an accomplished linguist and scholar, was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 1st, 1949, to Jim and Marijo Pennington. He died on November 28th of a heart attack, the day after Thanksgiving. Known for his signature “ pork pie” hat and for his savoring of every sip of his espresso and every gulp of his daily Coke-a-cola, Mark lived his life on his terms.

His favorite Bloomington haunts were Lenny’s, Michael’s Uptown Cafe, and Papa Bear’s , where he would regale his audience on tidbits from David Hackett Fischer’s “Albion’s Seed” and other cultural tomes.

Mark attended St. Roch Elementary, Southport High School, and Wabash College, and Sorbonne University. He lived in Europe for twenty-five years, part of that time in Aix -en -Provence, where he met the love of his life, Simone. After her death , he returned to the United States, resided in Bloomington, IN and taught in Indiana University’s linguistics department.

Fluid in French and in German , Mark earned his doctorate in linguistics from Indiana University in 2005. “ The Phonetics and Phonology of Glottal Manner Features” was his published thesis. In his youth, he was an idealist, a member of Students for a Democratic Society, and a critic of Capitalism.

He leaves his mother, Marijo Pennington-Smith, and his sister , Marianne Malcolmson ( Malcolm), his nephew, Joshua Malcolmson ( Dolores ) and nieces Emmi & Minna; his former wife, Sue, and his biological son, Tommy.

Mark showed us that language is more than communication—it is connection, curiosity, and care. His absence leaves a silence, but his work and legacy continues to speak.