On this Father's Day I can't help but think of Mark Haines, the CNBC anchor who passed away unexpectedly on May 25. I was watching that day when Carl Quintanilla read the announcement on-air and afterward I phoned my own dad to commiserate. Another reminder of him on this day is the obligatory tie often given as a gift to dads before they head off to the golf course or fire up the grill. You'll probably see many of these ties proudly displayed on Wall Street tomorrow. Even Google acknowledged this trend by incorporating one within its banner.
The day Mark Haines died it was as though the financial world stood still while CNBC's on-air anchors did their best to process it and put their loss in perspective. They shared stories about him and the loving nicknames he bestowed upon them. Among the many sentiments they shared were Haines' love of the Mets and the Giants, but above all, the love he had for his family. My heart goes out to his wife, son and daughter today.
Around 1pm that afternoon I saw a tweet from Jim Cramer that read, "I miss Mark Haines," which summed up my mood, so I retweeted it. Moments later I tweeted, "@CNBC @jimcramer I think all on-air anchors should wear American flag ties this Friday to salute #MarkHaines and the upcoming holiday." I then received a reply and a retweet from @the_music_gal, "the tie idea is a great one!"
The following day I wondered whether I had incepted the idea or if it had been lost amidst the outpouring of condolences. I didn't sleep well that night and was awake in time for the start of "Squawk Box" on Friday morning. I was happy to see Joe Kiernan, who clearly hadn't slept much either, wearing an American flag tie. I thought well at least Joe got it and I tweeted "@CNBC Love the Kahuna's tie! #MarkHaines lives on!" To my surprise that tweet was retweeted by @CNBC and Courtney Reagan (@CourtReagan) among others.
A few segments later, near the top of the hour, Rick Santelli and Steve Leisman went on-air in flag ties, too. I tweeted "Love the ties, gents! @CNBC Feels like #MarkHaines is smiling down. Now someone needs to take a dig at the French for good measure;)" Sometime afterward Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) tweeted, "Men reporters/anchors at CNBC wearing flag ties today in memory of Mark Haines" and included a pic of himself with The Professor. With Rovell's following, the tribute was sure to go viral.
After the opening bell, I went to Grand Central and took the Metro-North to Greenwich. While on the train, I saw a tweet from Mandy Drury (@MandyCNBC), "I'm joining the American flag tie brigade today in honour of #MarkHaines. If you have one, wear one too." I caught a glimpse of "The Call" and saw Sue Herera wearing one and later in the day Maria Bartiromo had one on during "The Closing Bell."
All on-air anchors wore American flag ties in honor of Mark Haines, who used to wear his each Friday to show his patriotism. I fired off my last tweet that day, "@MandyCNBC @CNBC You guys did great today. A fitting tribute to the legend of #MarkHaines. Proud of you all. And the French smell funny :)"
I did not have cable then, but I now understand that Mark Haines' coverage of September 11, 2001 is what he will be remembered for much the way Walter Cronkite is remembered for his coverage of President Kennedy's assasination. That said, I think the interview below with Haines on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" serves as a fitting bookend to his remarkable career.
Jim Cramer said it all, "I miss Mark Haines."
The day Mark Haines died it was as though the financial world stood still while CNBC's on-air anchors did their best to process it and put their loss in perspective. They shared stories about him and the loving nicknames he bestowed upon them. Among the many sentiments they shared were Haines' love of the Mets and the Giants, but above all, the love he had for his family. My heart goes out to his wife, son and daughter today.
Around 1pm that afternoon I saw a tweet from Jim Cramer that read, "I miss Mark Haines," which summed up my mood, so I retweeted it. Moments later I tweeted, "@CNBC @jimcramer I think all on-air anchors should wear American flag ties this Friday to salute #MarkHaines and the upcoming holiday." I then received a reply and a retweet from @the_music_gal, "the tie idea is a great one!"
The following day I wondered whether I had incepted the idea or if it had been lost amidst the outpouring of condolences. I didn't sleep well that night and was awake in time for the start of "Squawk Box" on Friday morning. I was happy to see Joe Kiernan, who clearly hadn't slept much either, wearing an American flag tie. I thought well at least Joe got it and I tweeted "@CNBC Love the Kahuna's tie! #MarkHaines lives on!" To my surprise that tweet was retweeted by @CNBC and Courtney Reagan (@CourtReagan) among others.
A few segments later, near the top of the hour, Rick Santelli and Steve Leisman went on-air in flag ties, too. I tweeted "Love the ties, gents! @CNBC Feels like #MarkHaines is smiling down. Now someone needs to take a dig at the French for good measure;)" Sometime afterward Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) tweeted, "Men reporters/anchors at CNBC wearing flag ties today in memory of Mark Haines" and included a pic of himself with The Professor. With Rovell's following, the tribute was sure to go viral.
After the opening bell, I went to Grand Central and took the Metro-North to Greenwich. While on the train, I saw a tweet from Mandy Drury (@MandyCNBC), "I'm joining the American flag tie brigade today in honour of #MarkHaines. If you have one, wear one too." I caught a glimpse of "The Call" and saw Sue Herera wearing one and later in the day Maria Bartiromo had one on during "The Closing Bell."
All on-air anchors wore American flag ties in honor of Mark Haines, who used to wear his each Friday to show his patriotism. I fired off my last tweet that day, "@MandyCNBC @CNBC You guys did great today. A fitting tribute to the legend of #MarkHaines. Proud of you all. And the French smell funny :)"
I did not have cable then, but I now understand that Mark Haines' coverage of September 11, 2001 is what he will be remembered for much the way Walter Cronkite is remembered for his coverage of President Kennedy's assasination. That said, I think the interview below with Haines on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" serves as a fitting bookend to his remarkable career.
Jim Cramer said it all, "I miss Mark Haines."