The attention paid to the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg was deserved. Her contributions to our society are literally immeasurable.
But she was not the only public servant who contributed mightily to our country who left us recently. So did former National Transportation Safety Board Chair Mark Rosenker and former State Department Protocol Officer Mary Masserini. Rosenker, died at 73 after a courageous battle against brain cancer. Masserini died at 94 after a 58-year career in federal service.
I learned a lot from them both. When I first started in politics in the late 1970s and early 1980s, I knew less than nothing about how things worked, especially about press coverage of presidential candidates and presidents, the areas which interested me most. With great patience, Rosenker showed me the ropes.
We worked a lot of events together and jokingly referred to ourselves as “the two Jewish Republican Marks” (of which there were not that many back then) because we were always on hand every Christmas Eve when President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan left the White House to maintain their long-standing tradition of having dinner at the home of their dear friends, Mary Jane and Charlie Wick. Once the presidential motorcade arrived at the Wicks’ residence, Mark would take the travel pool to one of the very few restaurants open in Washington that night (usually Duke Zeibert’s or Mel Krupin’s) while I would stay behind in the staff holding room with the president’s doctor and military aide.
Rosenker had a prestigious job with a major trade association in Washington but was always willing to comply with a request from the White House to serve as press advance for a presidential event. He considered it an honor to do so, and reporters knew that a “Rosenker event” was as well organized and nailed down as it got.
Anyone who traveled with the president was aware that despite having a demanding full-time job in the private sector, Rosenker served his country in the Air Force Reserve, eventually achieving the rank of major general. We knew this because of the countless times he “greeted” the White House press plane when it landed at Andrews Air Force Base, often in the dead of winter, in the dark of night, after an incredibly long day of travel. He was there just to be sure everyone’s needs were met. Sometimes, during campaigns, he would be on hand in the wee hours of the morning the next day to see us off.
Mark’s career also included senior positions in the administration of George W. Bush and as head of the Washington Office of the United Network for Organ Sharing. In 2018, Mark and his wife, the respected Washington public relations pro Heather Beldon, founded the Rosenker Center for Political Communication and Civic Leadership at the University of Maryland.
Masserini’s entire career was in government, first at the agency that preceded the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, but later at the Department of State, where she spent most of her career. In the Office of the Chief of Protocol, she had what some considered the unenviable assignment of attending to the needs of whatever press came to the U.S. with a visiting dignitary. Some countries’ leaders brought none, some brought only their “official state media representatives,” and some brought dozens of bona fide journalists. Masserini was expected to make sure all complied with U.S. rules and procedures, which she sometimes likened to “herding cats.” Even in the most demanding circumstances, she never wilted or lost her patience, once telling me: “I just want them to go home understanding that we value the press here.”
Whether she knew it or not, Mary became a minor international celebrity. When she would bring her usually unruly “charges,” reporters and photographers accompanying a visiting foreign dignitary, into the Oval Office for the routine pre-meeting photo-op, President Reagan would give her a knowing smile and wink. Frequently, visiting dignitaries would either say hello to Mary in their native language, to which she responded in kind (she spoke many languages) or would say something to the president about her.
When Reagan traveled abroad, foreign protocol officials asked the staff about Mary and were disappointed that she was not on the trip, even though we explained that her duties were strictly domestic.
At first glance, Masserini and Rosenker had little in common. Mary’s parents were literally off-the-boat immigrants. She never went to college. Mark’s father was a U.S. Air Force major and his mother a well-known entertainer. He graduated from the University of Maryland. Yet, they both shared a deep and abiding respect for the press, which shaped their careers. They both understood that the press plays a critical role in our democracy, and did everything they could to help reporters, photographers, technicians, and others do their jobs. They never thought of the press as “the enemy” of anyone, especially not the people of the U.S.
Masserini and Rosenker did not chase dollars or fame. They were drawn to Washington because they wanted to contribute and make a difference. Both eschewed personal publicity, taking satisfaction only from the successful completion of their mission, whether it was facilitating the press coverage of a presidential or foreign leader event or conducting an accident investigation that pointed the way to avoid a recurrence.
They were not part of a swamp or of a “deep state.” No, they were just patriotic people who believed that public service was an honorable profession.
Understandably, big names get big coverage. Such is life. But what less well-known public servants Mark Rosenker and Mary Masserini did for our country is important and worthy of our memory and praise. They loved Washington, and Washington loved them. They will be missed.
Mark Weinberg, an executive speechwriter and communications consultant, served as special assistant to the president and assistant press secretary in the Reagan White House and as director of public affairs in former President Ronald Reagan’s office. He is the author of the bestselling memoir, Movie Nights with the Reagans (Simon & Schuster).
