Mark Paben, a pillar of the arts community

Mark Charles Paben, a well-known Seattle arts activist and partner at the law firm of K&L Gates, died of heart failure March 3 at the age of 51.

Mr. Paben's death sent shock waves throughout legal circles and in the arts community, where he served as chairman of the Seattle Arts Commission from 2004 to 2006. He was known for his long involvement with ArtsFund, the united fund of corporate and workplace arts giving. Mr. Paben was a member of ArtsFund's board of trustees and its executive committee, as well as co-chairman of the workplace giving program.

Former ArtsFund President Peter Donnelly, who worked closely with Mr. Paben before Donnelly's retirement, said Mr. Paben was "a great advocate for the arts who will be terribly missed." Attorney Lynn Loacker, who shared Mr. Paben's enthusiasm for Seattle Opera productions, called his death "just unbelievable — he was always so full of energy and so involved in his work."

Mr. Paben was co-chairman of real-estate practice at K&L Gates, specializing in bankruptcy, insolvency and cross-border financing issues; he also was active in the American Bar Association and the International Bar Association. Not long before his death, he was appointed by Gov. Christine Gregoire as co-chairman of Washington FilmWorks, an organization established by the Legislature to promote the state's film industry.

Mr. Paben's knowledge of classical music was one of his fortes. A trained pianist, he had excellent taste and excellent connections. As board president of the now-defunct Northwest Chamber Orchestra, he invited such stars as soprano Carol Vaness and tenor Vinson Cole to perform with the orchestra, which reached a zenith in terms of quality and popularity during his presidency.

Mr. Paben's wide-ranging expertise is evident in the range of his community service on the boards of the Museum of History and Industry (where he was chairman and president), as well as the boards of such organizations as Intiman Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Spectrum Dance Theater, Plestcheeff Institute for the Decorative Arts and the Governor's Chamber Music Festival in Olympia.

Born Aug. 27, 1955, in Quincy, Ill., Mr. Paben earned a bachelor's from the University of Illinois in 1976 and a Juris Doctor degree from Syracuse University College of Law in 1979 (Order of the Coif). He attended the University of Vienna (Austria) in 1975.

Mr. Paben is survived by his brother, Gary Paben.

A memorial service is planned for April 16, with details to be posted on the law firm's Web site, www.klgates.com/PabenMemorial. Inquiries about the service may be sent to Pabenmemorial@klgates. com.

Donations in Mr. Paben's memory may be sent to ArtsFund, 10 Harrison St., Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98109, or to Northwest Harvest Capital Campaign, P.O. Box 12272, Seattle, WA 98102, or to a charity of the donor's choice.

Melinda Bargreen: mbargreen@seattletimes.com