For more than 35 years, Martin served in the administrations of presidents Fred Tom Mitchell, Ben F. Hilbun, Dean W. Colvard, William L. Giles, and James D. McComas. He came to the university in 1949 as registrar, taking on the added responsibilities of administrative assistant to the president four years later. In 1956, he was named dean of the then-School of Education, but returned to the president's office in 1960 as executive assistant. In 1966, he was promoted to vice president. Martin also was a professor of English.
He completed a bachelor's degree from Georgetown (Ky.) College in 1935, a master's from Louisiana State University in 1941, and a doctorate from Peabody College in Nashville in 1949. During World War II, he served as an infantry captain in the U.S. Army.
Former president Giles, noting that "one of the man's true gifts was his great mind," said Martin's "loyalty, insight, and problem-solving abilities made my life a great deal less complicated."
Among Martin's most prominent achievements at the university was his leadership in establishing a cooperative education program in 1954 and in taking the first steps to make the campus as accessible as possible to handicapped students.
Updated and adapted by Chris Brown <brownc@ur.msstate.edu>.
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