Wikipedia talk:Articles for deletion/Roy O. Martin, Jr.

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I would like to challenge the deletion of Roy O. Martin, Jr. on grounds of lack of notability. He meets notability as (1) the subject of a book (2004), (2) coverage of his death throughout the state of Louisiana, (3) reference in many Internet business sources, (4) his role as a major philanthropist, (5) his political appointment to the LA Board of Commerce and Industry from 1980-1984), (6) his role as a delegate to the Republican National Conventions of 1980 and 1984, (7) the special nature of his family-owned lumber and related businesses, (8) his citing as a "Louisiana Legend" by PBS, (9) nearly 20 references cited. Those who killed the article seemed not to consider all the facts of the story. Billy Hathorn 18:07, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

If this is in the wrong place, can someone who reads it, please direct it accordingly. Billy Hathorn 18:08, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

Roy Otis Martin, Jr. (June 3, 1921 - March 22, 2007) was a prominent businessmen, philanthropist, and civic leader in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in central Louisiana. He was the former president and chief executive officer of Roy O. Martin Lumber Management Company. Martin ran the company from 1962 until his retirement in 1978. In 2005, Martin was declared a "Living Legend" by Louisiana Public Broadcasting. A biography of Martin entitled Life by the Board Foot: Roy O. Martin and the Martin Companies was written in 2004 by the author James E. "Sonny" Carter of Natchitoches.

Contents [hide] 1 Early years and military 2 A large family-owned business 3 Philanthrophic endeavors 4 Supporting LSU at Alexandria 5 Martin the Republican 6 Martin's obituary 7 References

[edit] Early years and military Martin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to Roy O. Martin, Sr. (1890-1973), and Mildred B. Martin (1892-1995). His father moved the family to Alexandria in 1923 in order to establish the lumber company. Martin, Jr., graduated from Bolton High School in 1939 and then studied engineering at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. During this time, he met his first wife, the former Barbara "Bobbie" Morros (August 10, 1923 - May 8, 1993) of Bunkie in Avoyelles Parish. They were married on October 8, 1942.

Martin left LSU to join the U.S. Coast Guard after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served primarily in the Atlantic as a machinist's mate first class during World War II.

[edit] A large family-owned business

After his discharge, he returned to central Louisiana to join his father in the lumber business.

Under Martin, the company modernized its Alexandria sawmill and expanded from a land base of 250,000 acres to more than 370,000 acres. The firm became one of the largest family-owned businesses in the American South. In 2007, Martin Lumber, a general partner of Martco Limited Partnership, had a land base of nearly 600,000 acres of timberlands. In addition to its land holdings, the company has constructed a state-of-the-art strand board plant near Oakdale in Allen Parish to add to a portfolio of wood-products-manufacturing facilities. In 2004, Martin Lumber won the Forest Stewardship Award from the National Hardwood Lumber Association.

[edit] Philanthrophic endeavors

Martin was president of the Alexandria Lions Club from 1957-1958 and was recognized as having been one of the founders of the Lions Crippled Children's Camp in Leesville, the seat of Vernon Parish, in western Louisiana. He served until 1991 on the board of directors of the former Rapides Bank and Trust Company in Alexandria (since part of Bank One Corporation). He was instrumental in the creation of the private Alexandria Country Day School. He supported the United Service Organization to assist military service personnel.

Martin helped in the relocation of his church, First United Methodist of Alexandria from downtown to the Jackson Street location. He was a board member and fundraiser for the Salvation Army for fifty-four years. Under Martin's leadership, the Army raised $500,000 for a new building and shelter on Beauregard Street. The Martins also supported the Prison Chapel ministry and helped to fund a chapel inside the state penal institution in Cottonport in Avoyelles Parish. Martin believed that religious conversion is the key to rehabilitating criminals. Martin was also a longterm supporter of Louisiana Public Broadcasting. He was honored in 2005, with the designation "Louisiana Legend", along with former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young of Georgia and former LSU football Coach Paul Dietzel. In 2006, Martin was named "Cenla-ian of the Year" by the Cenla Focus magazine, which covers people and topics of interest to residents of central Louisiana.

Martin was president of the Rapides Symphony Orchestra from 1987-1988.

[edit] Supporting LSU at Alexandria

On October 7, 1994, seventeen months after Bobbie Martin died of cancer, Martin wed the former Vinita S. Johnson (March 21, 1918 - January 1, 2007), who had once lived in Kansas years earlier. The two shared a common interest in philanthropy. Over the course of their 12-year marriage, they established numerous scholarships, including the thirteenth endowed professorship at Louisiana State University at Alexandria, the Roy and Vinita J. Martin Endowed Professorship in Mathematics and Science.

LSUA Chancellor Robert Cavanaugh said that Martin was a major supporter of his institution: "When we started a foundation several years ago, Mr. Roy was a big supporter, not just with his money, but he donated his time. He knew where to go, where the money was." The foundation started with a few hundred thousand dollars, and now totals about $10 million in investments plus another $5 million to $6 million in assets, Cavanaugh told the Alexandria Daily Town Talk, Martin's hometown newspaper. In response to their generosity, LSUA named an oak tree on campus in honor of the couple.

Martin also subsidized forestry scholarships at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston.

[edit] Martin the Republican

Martin was a staunch Republican though he did not seek public office. He was a member of the Republican State Central Committee and was a delegate to the two national conventions, 1980 and 1984, which nominated the Reagan-Bush tickets. Republican Governor David C. Treen appointed Martin to a four-year term to the Louisiana Board of Commerce and Industry.

He was also a board member of two interest groups , the Public Affairs Research Council and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, or LABI. He was an indefatigable promoter of efforts to improve the business climate to foster economic growth in Louisiana. He was a member of the Louisiana Department of Transportaton and Development Advisory Council.

[edit] Martin's obituary Martin died at his residence, just eighty days after the passing of Mrs. Martin. He was survived by three daughters and one son, Roy O. Martin, III, president of the company.

[edit] References http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070323/NEWS01/703230336 http://www.legacy.com/shreveporttimes/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=86903167 http://www.rustonleader.com/obitsarch.php http://www.lsua.edu/picofweek/?week=1/23/2006 http://www.lpb.org/friends/lalegends/pastlegends.html http://cenlamar.wordpress.com/2007/01/02/ http://www.city-data.com/elec/elec-ALEXANDRIA-LA.html http://www.lawildlifefed.org/press_detail.cfm?id=20 http://www.membercard.com/membercard/stations/LPB_Program_News.htm http://support.lsua.edu/board/ http://news.lsua.edu/pr/?id=177 http://www.rapidessymphony.org/history.htm http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:XTrZRj93oSgJ:www.rainforest-alliance.org/forestry/documents/royomartinfmpubsum05.pdf.pdf+Roy+O.+Martin,+Jr.,+of+Louisiana&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8&gl=us http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:ZgljkPMC1SwJ:www.eng.lsu.edu/news_events/CornerStone_Summer03.pdf+Roy+O.+Martin,+Jr.,+of+Louisiana&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=us http://ssdi.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=roy+o.+martin%2C+jr.&fr=yfp-t-501&toggle=1&ei=UTF-8&u=www.fvginternational.com/documents/tax/Tax_Cases_1985/Martin_TCM_1985-424.pdf&w=roy+o+martin+jr&d=OhgfX_mdOmiL&icp=1&.intl=us http://www.bus.lsu.edu/dac/news.asp?f=DAC&s=&e=&n=&p=4 http://www.dotd.state.la.us/study/actruck.htm http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=roy+o.+martin%2C+jr.&toggle=1&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-501&u=asterix.ednet.lsu.edu/%7Estockard/authors/&w=roy+o+martin+jr&d=RmRPivmdOmSg&icp=1&.intl=us http://www.diversityworking.com/career/IT_-_Networking/Louisiana_jobs/news/686189.html http://www.latech.edu/technews/viewnews.cgi?category=1&id=1154362052 Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_O._Martin%2C_Jr."

I have posted this to DRV for discussion - iridescent (talk to me!) 20:09, 20 April 2007 (UTC)