News and Events

Tara Natarajan, Krebs Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, announced his passing in an email to faculty and staff on August 29 after receiving word from his family. 

“With 56 years serving Lake Forest College, Dr. Martin leaves a legacy of scholarship, dignity, and respect,” Natarajan wrote.

Upon his retirement in 2016, she noted, the Advanced Chemistry Laboratory in the Lillard Science Center was named for Dr. Martin.

“While his presence will be missed, his lessons of curiosity, passion, and dedication remain,” Natarajan said. “A celebration of his life will be held in the future.”

Dr. Martin received his bachelor’s degree from Franklin & Marshall College, with time served in the US Navy during World War II, and moved on to Northwestern University, where he earned a PhD. The basis of his published thesis, a mechanism of the side-reaction of the Williamson-ether synthesis, was a staple of his organic chemistry class.

He began his chemistry career at Abbott Laboratories, where his research led to the development of a drug—an acetylenic amine—that had a mood-elevating effect, as well as positive effects on the cardiovascular system, and was sold on the pharmaceutical market. But an opportunity to teach and guide students to the same chemical discoveries that first excited him lured the professor at heart to Lake Forest College.

Experiential learning innovator

Martin was one of the first Lake Forest science professors to introduce “hands-on” instruction. The classroom and textbook were important, but working in the lab to generate ideas and allow students to solve problems independently was integral to their scientific development. His teaching tenure was marked by impeccably high standards that he balanced with a constant willingness to be available to students.

With his trademark uniform of white shirt, brown shoes, beige pants, and beige lab coat, Dr. Martin challenged students to think for themselves. Entering his office with a question led to an intense discussion where students were encouraged to work out the problem and understand it for themselves. Drawing upon his extensive knowledge of history, engineering, and the arts, he ensured that students left his class with an understanding not only of the mechanism of organic chemistry but also of its historical context.

During his illustrious year career at the College, Dr. Martin taught organic chemistry to more than 2,000 students and biochemistry to hundreds more. He worked with scores of students on laboratory research projects, directing more than 65 senior theses.