Girl Journalist

John Ross Martin April 15, 1941-Oct. 4, 2008
Funeral services for John Ross Martin, 67, of Shawnee Mission will be held at Lamb Roberts Funeral Home in Ottawa, KS Friday, Oct. 10 at 2:30 p.m. Visitation with the family will be from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in memory of John Ross Martin to the Heart of America chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. 3846 W 75th St, Prairie Village, KS 66208. We’re working to setup a memorial fund with the SETI Foundation. For now, you can make a donation directly to the SETI Institute just let them know it’s in memory of John Ross Martin.

Dad was a good looking guy. He was quite the ladies man in high school, college and the assisted living home.

People use words like “intelligent” “handsome” “ornery” to describe my Dad. But for me, the only words that can describe him are “my Daddy.”

I most definitely was, and always will be, a Daddy’s girl. Even as I am my Mother’s daughter. I owe my career to my Dad. He pushed me to get in to computers (as I rolled my eyes and complained about the hours he spent holed up in his basement, with only a single desk lamp lighting the room, bent over a keyboard, typing furiously)….

So many lovable quirks and hundreds of memories that I hope to commemorate on “paper” someday to share with my children. But for now, I just want to get the facts down.

My Dad was born April 15, 1941, in Ottawa, KS, the son of Harry William and Helen Lucile Martin. He was the great grandson of famed Tall Tale Postcard creator William Harrison “Dad” Martin of Ottawa, KS.

He graduated from Ottawa High School in 1959 and attended the University of Kansas, where he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon. He graduated with a B.A. in Political Science in 1966.

Dad was an interpreter with the United States Air Force from 1962 to 1965. He learned to translate Russian in Syracuse, NY before shipping out to Okinawa, Japan.

Dad earned a Masters in International Business from Thunderbird School of Global Management, Phoenix, AZ in 1968. He was Director of Marketing, Southeast Asia, for Shure Brothers Electronics from 1968 to 1970.

Dad also earned a Juris Doctor degree from Washburn University School of Law in 1973. He was Executive Director and lobbyist for the Kansas Petroleum Council in Topeka, KS from 1980 to 1991.

In the mid-90’s, my Dad developed several educational games in Hypercard for the Macintosh computer. He marketed and sold his games in 22 states and around the world.

Dad grew up in Kansas but lived in Chicago, Japan, Phoenix and Seattle. He knew a lot about a lot of different things. He was a popular guy, and I often invited him to my parties because my friends enjoyed chatting with him.

I have no doubt that we three girls were the most important things in the world to Dad. As much as he worried about us I hope he is finally at peace and that he knows we’ll do our best to make him proud.