Alumni Offer a Source of Inspiration
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Steve Winn ’64 sits for an interview with The ReMarker student newspaper.
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Since opening the Dallas location of his immersive entertainment company Cosm, Steve Winn ’64 has been understandably busy. But on a recent Saturday, even as hundreds of fans packed the Grandscape venue to watch college football on the 87-foot dome, Cosm's founder set aside time for three high school journalists reporting for The ReMarker newspaper.
“We’re always told how tight-knit the St. Mark’s brotherhood is, even among alumni,” said Kevin Ho ’26. “But on that day, I actually experienced it firsthand.”
For their story, Kevin and fellow ReMarker journalists Tejas Allada ’26 and Dilan Koganti ’26 were granted full access to the Cosm venue, just weeks after its grand opening. They also interviewed Steve Winn, Cosm's board chairman, a St. Mark’s Distinguished Alumnus, and the namesake of the Winn Science Center.
For their story, Kevin and fellow ReMarker journalists Tejas Allada ’26 and Dilan Koganti ’26 were granted full access to the Cosm venue, just weeks after its grand opening. They also interviewed Steve Winn, Cosm's board chairman, a St. Mark’s Distinguished Alumnus, and the namesake of the Winn Science Center.
“He mentioned that the primary inspiration for Cosm was derived from the addition of the telescope to the old McDermott-Green science building,” Kevin shared. “That’s when I realized how deeply rooted his passion for immersive technology was.”
The boys’ article highlighted Steve Winn’s lifelong love for technology. Inspired by the McDermott-Green Math-Science Quadrangle, Winn attended St. Mark’s and, decades later, gave back through a leadership gift to modernize its science facilities. It was during the development of the Winn Science Center that he first envisioned what would later become Cosm.
As Winn explained to The ReMarker, “I asked myself what would happen if you rotated the planetarium dome on its side and lit it up with LEDs so that you could see it during the day without needing it to be dark? Wouldn’t that change the use case that planetariums were built for?”
Read the article...
Read Kevin and Tejas's article in the September 2024 issue The ReMarker.
The experience taught Kevin and Tejas a great deal about Cosm – and the broader impact of St. Mark’s.
“My time with Mr. Winn opened my eyes to the fact that this sense of brotherhood isn’t confined to one graduating class – it spans multiple generations,” said Kevin. “When I’m an adult, I hope to find ways to emphasize that very idea when I interact with St. Mark’s students.”
With more than 4,000 graduates across the globe, the St. Mark’s alumni network is strong. Throughout their lives, Marksmen continue to live the School’s core lesson that “we stand on the shoulders of giants.”
“A Marksman is always willing to answer the call of a fellow Marksman,” said Jack Mallick ’14, Ahlberg & Ribman Family Director of Alumni Relations. “That includes alumni who want to connect with and help current students who are just starting on their path.”
The strength of the alumni network is evident in many of The ReMarker’s robust articles. In just the September 2024 issue, students connected with alumni for insights on various topics. For a cover story on Texas's finance industry, they interviewed Jake Yarckin ’19, an analyst at Goldman Sachs. For a sports feature, they spoke with Dallas Trinity FC President Charlie Neil ’08 and Chief Operating Officer Trip Neil ’03.
“The St. Mark’s connection is undeniable, and we are so grateful that our alumni are always so helpful,” said Jenny Creech, St. Mark’s Publications Advisor. “I hope the boys remember this and give back to future generations of students.”
St. Mark’s School of Texas
10600 Preston Road
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000
About Us
St. Mark’s School of Texas is a private, nonsectarian college-preparatory boys’ day school for students in grades 1 through 12, located in Dallas, Texas. St. Mark’s aims to prepare young men to assume leadership and responsibility in a competitive and changing world.
St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
