Albert Joseph Martin
July 11, 1923 — December 4, 2014
Albert Joseph Martin was born July 11, 1923, Lac Baker, New Brunswick in rural French Canada, into a Catholic family of 5 boys and 3 girls. His great grandfather, surname Daigle, on his mother’s side owned a one mile island on this 5 mile Lake, and the Daigle family were one of the original French settlers of Canada. Al’s father was a woodsman, hunted deer, bear and fished, and was the village barber using the basement of the house he built as his barbershop. This was also the location during Prohibition where men of the village would come to obtain bootleg liquor after their haircut. The Royal Mounted Police raided the cellar three times but never found where the liquor was stashed. Eventually about 10 bedrooms were added to the family house and some of the rooms were for railroad workers who boarded while working on the rails in the area.
During WWII, 3 of the oldest brothers worked at a G.E. plant in Pittsfield, Massachusetts with the oldest sister keeping house for them. One sister stayed in Canada and got married but eventually came to the U.S. The youngest siblings went with their parents to “Frog Hollow”, in Hartford, Connecticut, a large French Canadian community, and Al joined them there after leaving the junior priesthood seminary where he received his high school education. All of Al’s brothers who saw action during WWII in the European theater returned home safely. One brother, Medard, won a bronze star in Patton’s army clearing ordinance from a road under heavy fire; Al’s oldest brother, Edgar, was a Tech Sargent in the “Red Ball Express” which supplied Patton’s 3rd Army in his push thru France into Germany. They transported food, fuel and ammo to the front and returned with dead and wounded Allies and German POW’s. He was possibly in Paris. Rosaire, another brother, was in the invasion of Sicily and photographed in Naples, Italy; Lucien was station in the U.S. in the mid-west; Warren Sweeney, brother-in-law, was in a P.O.W. camp when his plane was shot down most probably over Germany. All his family had dual citizenship and after the war were required to choose one and so all became Naturalized Americans just after the war.
During WWII Al enlisted November 30, 1942, at age 19, in the Army Air Corp and after basic training was sent to Greeley to University of Northern Colorado then known as Colorado State College of Education, where the WWII Engineering and Operations School for the Air Corp had their training facility. From there he was sent to the Aleutian Island chain, Alaska, serving in the 11th Fighter Squadron, being stationed on several of the Islands, including Attu after passing thru Dutch Harbor. He became a Sargent doing payroll for a squadron. Al was demobilized in December 15, 1944 and ended his service November 9th, 1945, whereupon he obtained his Naturalization Certificate to be an American citizen. During his entire time in the military he was learning English and in Alaska much of this was by correspondence. Although he did not see action he had a reputation of doing payroll completely accurately which was highly regarded by the men who were sending money home to their families. Al’s decorations were: Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic Pacific Theater Campaign Ribbon & the Victory Medal. I have not confirmed this but have been told that while in the Aleutians twice the entire camp assembled in a large airplane hanger to see President Roosevelt who was changing planes-drive by the men in a jeep, and once for Yehudi Menuhin who did the same.
After the war, since Al knew CSCE, he decided to go back there to get his B.A. and is one of few who returned there after military training for his college. He was the president of the International Club on campus. Once during Spring break, Al and one of his college buddies, Tony Yamasaki, hitch-hiked from Greeley, Colorado to San Diego, California, all the way encountering discrimination against Japanese and protecting each other since this was right after the war. They remained friends until Tony passed away at age 85 about 6 years ago. Al also spent the summer session of 1947 studying Spanish in Mexico City. Al received a Bachelor of Arts in
Foreign Languages, August 31, 1949. He was the only one of his brother’s and sisters who had more than a 6th grade education, although all his brothers were successful businessmen on the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S.
Al met and married Helen Eva Johnson who worked in the business office of CSCE. Helen was from Wakefield, Mass., and went to Tufts College (now ‘University’) obtaining a B.S. in Psychology in 1947, She was also the editor of the Tuftonian. They married in the Greeley Congregational Church in July 29, 1949. Al’s first teaching job was in Monte Vista, CO. Al’s time during the war and afterwards in Greeley, especially encountering the Rockies, marks the beginning of his great love of the mountains and lifelong interests in history and poetry.
Subsequently Al obtained a Masters Degree in French in 1953 (Thesis: “Maurice Barres, Critique de la Poesie Contemporaine”, Barres was a French novelist, journalist, political nationalist whose literary works are associated with Symbolism) at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. Al and Helen made their life long home in that state primarily in Pasadena, California. Al is survived by his daughter, an artist and university administrator who lives in Pasadena, California; and a son Tracy, a writer in the motorcycle and automotive industries, who lives with his wife Leslie, and son, Tristan, in Hagerstown, Maryland. Helen Martin was in civil service as a vocational counselor and rose thru the ranks in the California State Department of Rehabilitation, eventually becoming the State’s Governor’s appointee as assistant deputy director for field operations for the state. Helen has been a world traveler and currently resides in Tempe, Arizona.
Al put on a very large Martin family reunion where 300 Martin’s from all over the country came to Connecticut to attend in the 1980’s. Al was considered to be the family ‘historian and archivist’ and eventually acquired numerous photos and family albums, and along with his own extensive photographing this totals 60 albums with well over 4,000 photographs from the 1800’s to 2013, and over 200 documents. He also completed -before the age of computers -an extensive family history and genealogy after 15 years of labor, travel to Salt Lake City (the Mormon Geneaology archives), the state of Louisiana, Canada, the Loire Valley and west coast of France. The UCLA Research Library accepted his personal library on the Acadians which is, with his gift, the most extant on the West Coast.
Al was a member of the Sierra Club and was a hike leader for 40 years in the San Gabriel Mountains above Pasadena. He was also a member of the Pasadena Area Liberal Arts Center and attended and lead programs for many years. He and his wife were active in social causes and civil rights. At Alhambra High School (Alhambra, Calif.) Al taught French and was the Language Department Chair for over thirty years. He headed up the Hiking and French clubs at AHS. Upon a personal recommendation he received permission to do research on the French Acadians and the British at the Huntington Library & Gardens in San Marino, CA. He is also a very good artist, loved visiting art museums and conducted tours of the Los Angeles murals found all over the city for many years along with his vigorous weekly hiking activity in local mountains. Al hiked, camped, and did extensive back-packing trips which included Mount Whitney, the High Sierras and the Grand Canyon; and also traveled several times across country, camping in national parks with his family. He also went on Elder-hostel trips and traveled throughout the entire United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe.
Condolences may be sent to his family through our website.
During WWII, 3 of the oldest brothers worked at a G.E. plant in Pittsfield, Massachusetts with the oldest sister keeping house for them. One sister stayed in Canada and got married but eventually came to the U.S. The youngest siblings went with their parents to “Frog Hollow”, in Hartford, Connecticut, a large French Canadian community, and Al joined them there after leaving the junior priesthood seminary where he received his high school education. All of Al’s brothers who saw action during WWII in the European theater returned home safely. One brother, Medard, won a bronze star in Patton’s army clearing ordinance from a road under heavy fire; Al’s oldest brother, Edgar, was a Tech Sargent in the “Red Ball Express” which supplied Patton’s 3rd Army in his push thru France into Germany. They transported food, fuel and ammo to the front and returned with dead and wounded Allies and German POW’s. He was possibly in Paris. Rosaire, another brother, was in the invasion of Sicily and photographed in Naples, Italy; Lucien was station in the U.S. in the mid-west; Warren Sweeney, brother-in-law, was in a P.O.W. camp when his plane was shot down most probably over Germany. All his family had dual citizenship and after the war were required to choose one and so all became Naturalized Americans just after the war.
During WWII Al enlisted November 30, 1942, at age 19, in the Army Air Corp and after basic training was sent to Greeley to University of Northern Colorado then known as Colorado State College of Education, where the WWII Engineering and Operations School for the Air Corp had their training facility. From there he was sent to the Aleutian Island chain, Alaska, serving in the 11th Fighter Squadron, being stationed on several of the Islands, including Attu after passing thru Dutch Harbor. He became a Sargent doing payroll for a squadron. Al was demobilized in December 15, 1944 and ended his service November 9th, 1945, whereupon he obtained his Naturalization Certificate to be an American citizen. During his entire time in the military he was learning English and in Alaska much of this was by correspondence. Although he did not see action he had a reputation of doing payroll completely accurately which was highly regarded by the men who were sending money home to their families. Al’s decorations were: Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic Pacific Theater Campaign Ribbon & the Victory Medal. I have not confirmed this but have been told that while in the Aleutians twice the entire camp assembled in a large airplane hanger to see President Roosevelt who was changing planes-drive by the men in a jeep, and once for Yehudi Menuhin who did the same.
After the war, since Al knew CSCE, he decided to go back there to get his B.A. and is one of few who returned there after military training for his college. He was the president of the International Club on campus. Once during Spring break, Al and one of his college buddies, Tony Yamasaki, hitch-hiked from Greeley, Colorado to San Diego, California, all the way encountering discrimination against Japanese and protecting each other since this was right after the war. They remained friends until Tony passed away at age 85 about 6 years ago. Al also spent the summer session of 1947 studying Spanish in Mexico City. Al received a Bachelor of Arts in
Foreign Languages, August 31, 1949. He was the only one of his brother’s and sisters who had more than a 6th grade education, although all his brothers were successful businessmen on the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S.
Al met and married Helen Eva Johnson who worked in the business office of CSCE. Helen was from Wakefield, Mass., and went to Tufts College (now ‘University’) obtaining a B.S. in Psychology in 1947, She was also the editor of the Tuftonian. They married in the Greeley Congregational Church in July 29, 1949. Al’s first teaching job was in Monte Vista, CO. Al’s time during the war and afterwards in Greeley, especially encountering the Rockies, marks the beginning of his great love of the mountains and lifelong interests in history and poetry.
Subsequently Al obtained a Masters Degree in French in 1953 (Thesis: “Maurice Barres, Critique de la Poesie Contemporaine”, Barres was a French novelist, journalist, political nationalist whose literary works are associated with Symbolism) at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. Al and Helen made their life long home in that state primarily in Pasadena, California. Al is survived by his daughter, an artist and university administrator who lives in Pasadena, California; and a son Tracy, a writer in the motorcycle and automotive industries, who lives with his wife Leslie, and son, Tristan, in Hagerstown, Maryland. Helen Martin was in civil service as a vocational counselor and rose thru the ranks in the California State Department of Rehabilitation, eventually becoming the State’s Governor’s appointee as assistant deputy director for field operations for the state. Helen has been a world traveler and currently resides in Tempe, Arizona.
Al put on a very large Martin family reunion where 300 Martin’s from all over the country came to Connecticut to attend in the 1980’s. Al was considered to be the family ‘historian and archivist’ and eventually acquired numerous photos and family albums, and along with his own extensive photographing this totals 60 albums with well over 4,000 photographs from the 1800’s to 2013, and over 200 documents. He also completed -before the age of computers -an extensive family history and genealogy after 15 years of labor, travel to Salt Lake City (the Mormon Geneaology archives), the state of Louisiana, Canada, the Loire Valley and west coast of France. The UCLA Research Library accepted his personal library on the Acadians which is, with his gift, the most extant on the West Coast.
Al was a member of the Sierra Club and was a hike leader for 40 years in the San Gabriel Mountains above Pasadena. He was also a member of the Pasadena Area Liberal Arts Center and attended and lead programs for many years. He and his wife were active in social causes and civil rights. At Alhambra High School (Alhambra, Calif.) Al taught French and was the Language Department Chair for over thirty years. He headed up the Hiking and French clubs at AHS. Upon a personal recommendation he received permission to do research on the French Acadians and the British at the Huntington Library & Gardens in San Marino, CA. He is also a very good artist, loved visiting art museums and conducted tours of the Los Angeles murals found all over the city for many years along with his vigorous weekly hiking activity in local mountains. Al hiked, camped, and did extensive back-packing trips which included Mount Whitney, the High Sierras and the Grand Canyon; and also traveled several times across country, camping in national parks with his family. He also went on Elder-hostel trips and traveled throughout the entire United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe.
Condolences may be sent to his family through our website.
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