Mark Fernandez’s daughter-in-law, Christina Fernandez, described Fernandez in a way students found perfect when reading the eulogy at his funeral. Above everything else, the words Christina believed suited him best were “really cool.”
Nha Nguyen, an alum who graduated in 2024, couldn’t agree more.
“That’s just what he is. He was just the coolest guy, the coolest professor,” Nguyen said.
Fernandez was a professor at Loyola for over 30 years, serving as Patricia Carlin O’Keefe Distinguished Professor of History and role model for both students majoring in history and students in various different majors.
Nguyen was a history major who had Fernandez as her major advisor, and while at Loyola, she experienced unconditional support from Fernandez.
“He helped me a lot throughout my time at Loyola, because I had a really personal tough time during my undergrad, and he was always encouraging me and always telling me to keep going,” she said.
With this support, Nguyen was awarded Best History Student her sophomore year, which Fernandez emailed her about directly.
“I remember crying… He was telling me how much I deserved it and that he recognized my work,” she said.
Nguyen explained how she worked with Fernandez closely throughout her time at Loyola, and while doing so, she experienced his passion for teaching, as well as how much he cared for his students. According to Nguyen, she was in one of the last personal classes he taught before being diagnosed with brain cancer, but despite the obstacles, Fernandez continued to teach, even if some of his classes had to turn virtual.
“I think the fact that he still kept wanting to teach even after his diagnosis is so amazing to me,” Nguyen said. “You can just tell he was so passionate about wanting to teach students, and that was what he was the most happy about.”
Nguyen explained how Fernandez would help every student he could, including those in different disciplines, and would touch the hearts of countless individuals. His Instagram posts were all pictures of his students and classes, commemorating his joy in the classroom.
“It really was not just about his teaching but his personality,” Nguyen said.
Students were not the only ones who recognized his dedication to Loyola. History department chair and professor Justin Nystrom, who worked alongside Fernandez, recounted the lifelong impact that Fernandez had on his students because of his care and passion for what and whom he taught.
“Mark cared the world for his students,” Nystrom said. “I don’t know how many times Mark and I would be out, you know, having drinks or something, and there would be somebody who comes up, you know, from age 40 to 30 or, you know, older even, and they’d come over and they’d be like, ‘Mark!’ [because] he was their professor.”
Fernandez not only had deep relationships with his students, but he also forged irreplaceable bonds with his colleagues.
Nystrom explained how he saw Fernandez as some kind of mentor who helped him serve the University the right way.
“He treated me like family, you know, and he and I were very close friends … making sure our interests were served, making sure we did what we needed to do to get tenure, to do all that kind of stuff, and, uh, teaching us, in turn, also how to be good citizens of the university,” Nystrom said.
Through his work as a professor, Fernandez also constantly fought for social justice on campus. According to Nystrom, he would constantly speak out at senate meetings and ensure that the University was kept “on the ramps.”
Despite falling ill, Fernandez still brought up pressing social justice issues in his classes, including recent issues of immigration.
“Particularly thinking about the migrants…people from Latin America crossing on foot, coming to the United States and working here… resonated very strongly with his scholarship,” Nystrom said.
Both Nguyen and Nystrom acknowledged his love for Woody Guthrie, a Depression-era folk musician and American icon. He would speak about Guthrie constantly in his classes not only because of his musical skill but also because of the musician’s outspoken concern for migrant communities.
“He was also a big fan… his research was a lot about Woody Guthrie… his absolute favorite musician. He would talk about it all the time in class,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen recounted a story where she took a picture of Guthrie’s guitar at the Museum of Pop Culture and sent it to Fernandez, and he posted it all over his socials.
“I sent it to him personally, and he was so happy. I didn’t know this, but he posted the picture on all the social media accounts and then he showed it to other professors I was really close with,” Nguyen said. “I did not know it made him that happy. And I was really emotional just hearing about that.”
Fernandez was named the Seventh Annual Woody Guthrie Fellow by the Woody Guthrie Foundation and BMI Music Publisher in 2012, which his obituary said “spoke to the breadth of his curiosity and passion for American culture and folk traditions.”
His obituary noted that he also received the Dux Academicus award, Loyola’s highest distinction, alongside his title of Patricia Carlin O’Keefe Distinguished Professor of History. He additionally received the Louisiana Historical Association’s Garney McGinty Lifetime Service Award in 2023, and he earned the Louisiana Literary Award from the Louisiana Library Association for his scholarship, specifically because of his book “From Chaos to Continuity: Evolution of Louisiana’s Judicial System, 1712-1862.”
Aside from his scholarship, Fernandez also enjoyed playing the guitar and played for multiple venues across the city.
“For those who knew Mark, seeing him on that stage was seeing him in his element,” the obituary said.
Fernandez’s funeral was filled with friends and family who appreciated his passion and ambition, especially when it came to Loyola.
“The whole funeral, the pews, [were] all filled up. Everyone was there to say their farewell to him, but it was just amazing. You just saw alumni, students, all sorts of people coming to say goodbye,” Nguyen said.
