Mark Powell, born Marion Lyle Powell on August 5, 1928, in Selma, California, and died on July 2, 2020, is a major figure in American mountaineering. His childhood was marked by frequent moves, and after his parents divorced at the age of 15, he moved with his mother to live with his grandparents in Laton, California. After graduating from high school in 1946, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served primarily in Alaska. Discharged just before the Korean War, he quickly developed his passion for the mountains, which he had already begun hiking and climbing as a child.