Back in the early 1970s, I had the privilege of working alongside Mark Lacter on our high school newspaper "The Beachcomber." Little did I know that years later, I would work with Mark once again when he was editor of "The LA Business Journal." By that time, Mark was a well-respected journalist who made the LABJ a must-read for anyone who wanted to know the latest about the city's entrepreneurs and power brokers. He was an extremely thoughtful, serious editor who set a very high standard for the paper...but every now and then, I could get him to crack a smile by reminding him of our school years when we struggled to impress our legendary Journalism teacher Stan Evans. And I'll always be grateful for getting cool assignments from him, like when I was "forced" to stay in a luxurious suite at the Century Plaza Hotel in order to report on the latest high-tech innovations in the hospitality business. RIP Mark!!!