Marc, whom we also knew as “Toma,” died June 19, 2013, at his home in California after a long illness.

He entered Princeton with the Class of 1972 from Deerfield, Ill., a gifted athlete who played freshman football. He was easily recognized by his nearly white-blond hair. He majored in sociology, taking time after his junior year for international travel and to explore medicine as a career. A senior-year course in architecture captured his interest and inspired his thesis on the use of rooftop space in New York. He graduated with the Class of 1973.

Marc enrolled in the graduate program of architecture at UC, Berkeley, where he met his future wife and career partner, Karen Burks. After graduation, they formed their own firm, Burks Toma Architecture, and started a family, raising two sons, Matt and Walker.

Marc’s Princeton friends describe him as a gentle and polite man, fiercely loyal, thoughtful, and protective of those he cared about. Years of meditation had helped him discern who was important to him and what was important to him. He loved Karen and took extraordinary joy from watching his sons play football and baseball. He is survived by his wife, sons, a brother, and a sister.

The classes of 1972 and 1973 send their condolences to the family.

Class Year: 
Undergraduate Class of 1973