May 07, 2019
The happy skipper: Mark S. Deresienski, O.D. ’71
By Ealish A. Brawley ’14
Recently retired optometrist Mark S. “Rocky” Deresienski, O.D. ’71 of Narragansett, R.I., will have more time now to spend on the water. The owner of two boats, he also continues to captain seasonal shuttle boat tours out of Newport Harbor. A record-setting Friar soccer goaltender in his college days, Deresienski majored in biology and studied for his doctoral degree at New England College of Optometry. He retired in December 2018 after practicing optometry for more than 45 years.
How did you get started driving shuttle boats out of Newport? What makes each day on the boat exciting and entertaining?
I have always loved the water as a sailor and a boater. I used to have a charter business and have had my captain’s license for over 30 years. For the last six, as my bucket-list job, I have been the captain and do tours around Newport Harbor from Memorial Day to Columbus Day. I give passengers some of the history associated with the place: the slave trade, Black Beard selling his booty in the harbor, the 26 pirates hanged in Dead Man’s Cove. If you want to see the prettiest and the most unbelievable boats, Newport is truly an international destination.
Most of my passengers speak a language other than English. I’ve even had a few celebrities on the boat, including television and film stars like Judge Judy and Tim Robbins.
Tell us about your own boats and any other marine hobbies.
At our dock is a 19-foot MAKO, and my wife and I just bought a 30-foot mainship for my retirement. Our new boat has air conditioning and heating, as well as a bow thruster to make things more comfortable. We plan to cruise to Block Island and the Vineyard during the summer.
Narragansett is a great place to live, very quiet, but also close knit. Our neighbor is the son of Salty Brine, a Rhode Island television and radio legend. His boat is even named “No School, Foster-Glocester,” after one of his father’s favorite catch phrases. Our five grandchildren love jumping off the dock, fishing, and enjoying the beaches in Narragansett. Life is good.
You have been involved in an annual ceremony that is very important to mariners — the Blessing of the Fleet in nearby Galilee. How involved are you, and what is this tradition like?
The Narragansett Lions Club sponsors the ceremony and related events, and I am the club’s former president, former public relations chairman, and current master of ceremonies at the Blessing of the Fleet. During the blessing, local officials gather as the boats and ships out in the harbor refuge are blessed by priests.
Fishing is not an easy life, and a lot of people die at sea every year. I read the name of each of the deceased, and then we drop a wreath into the harbor to commemorate their loss. Families often come to remember their loved ones. But it is not just a somber event, I sing “God Bless America” at the end of the ceremony as part of our tradition. The 10-mile road race and the seafood festival are also that weekend.
How would you characterize your years spent at PC?
I graduated in 1971 with my pre-med degree. I found pre-med at PC tougher than optometry school. I remember sitting in Harkins Hall and Father Reichert (Rev. Charles V. Reichart, O.P. ’32 & ’58Hon.), who directed the program, told us to look to the left and then to the right. Then he said that those seats would be empty when we graduated, and he was right because about two-thirds of our group changed majors before senior year.
During those years, my classmates and I lived through some tumultuous times. I remember Vietnam protests, first hearing about the Kent State shootings on a television in Meagher Hall, and the day of the draft. I was drafted, had my physical, and was ready to go, but two weeks before I was supposed to show up, I was accepted to optometry school. And in those days the only graduate schools you could get a deferment for were medical.
But overall, I spent good years at PC: good people, good relationships, good teachers, and good education. I still go to every PC basketball game I can. My daughter and I are PC fans, and my boys are URI fans, so that rivalry is something we always enjoy. A tradition with my daughter is that we go up to Providence for a game and then to Olneyville for wieners and coffee milk.
Your college years were an exciting time for PC athletics, especially while the Friars were cultivating legends such as basketball’s Ernie DiGregorio ’73 and Marvin Barnes ’74. What did it mean to you to earn Athlete of the Year and the Mal Brown Award as a soccer player?
I was surprised, to be honest with you, but very thankful for it. The Athlete of the Year was given to the person who did the most for his team that year, not exactly a matchup of who was the better athlete. During a recent trip back to campus I found out that I still held the record for the most shutouts: six as a goalie for PC. [The record was broken in fall 2018 by graduate student Colin Miller ’18, who recorded 10.] And the Mal Brown Award encompassed academics and athletics. There weren’t too many pre-med majors playing sports, what with the labs and other responsibilities.
