Few people will ever know the truly horrifying trauma that comes with being a survivor of the Holocaust, which has been coined as one of the darkest periods of mass human suffering throughout history. Al Marks is one of these brave few, and on Wednesday, March 20, he spoke to the 10th grade students, teachers and staff members at Splendora High School about his experiences and what he has done to overcome them. Marks was born in Hungary and was forced to live through the horrors of four different concentration camps, the first of which was Auschwitz. He arrived there with his mother and father when he was only 13 years old. On June 6, 1944, he and his parents were sent to the infamous camp by cattle car, as ordered by the SS Nazi police. Once there, Marks was separated from his parents immediately. They were sent by Dr. Mengele, also known as the “Angel of Death,” to the gas chambers. Marks never saw them again, and shortly after, he was sent to one of several work camps, where he was forced to endure even more unthinkable hardships.