[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 18, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E502]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IN CELEBRATION OF THE LATE FRED MARTIN'S LIFE OF PUBLIC SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DEBBIE DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 18, 2018

  Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the late Fred 
Martin for his life of distinguished public service. His efforts have 
forever changed Michigan and made it a more inclusive and prosperous 
state.
  A lifelong Michigan resident, Mr. Martin was passionate about serving 
others. He was a member of the United States Army from 1944 to 1946, 
serving during World War II in Europe and the South Pacific. He was 
honorably discharged with a Bronze Battle Star and returned home to 
Michigan to attend college. Mr. Martin received his Bachelor Degree in 
Liberal Arts Education as well as his Master's Degree in Education in 
Administration in 1954. He then spent 27 years working for Detroit 
Public Schools in various positions including as a teacher, Assistant 
Principal, Executive Director of the Office of Personnel and Deputy 
Superintendent. From there, he went on to serve the City of Detroit as 
Mayor Coleman Young's Chief of Staff, a position that allowed him to 
work on policies that meaningfully impacted the city that he loved.
  As an African American leader, Mr. Martin worked to establish the 
Society of Black Educational Administrators and served as the 
organization's first president. It was through his work there that he 
established tenets to eradicate racism from Detroit Public Schools and 
worked with state and local leaders to open lines of communication. 
Through his work as Mayor Young's Chief of Staff, Mr. Martin increased 
the number of minority and female firefighters in the City of Detroit, 
vastly lowered the average response time of 911 emergency calls and 
coordinated food and shelter for Detroit's homeless population during 
the cold winters. Mr. Fred Martin spent his whole life working to 
better the city of Detroit and succeeded in changing public discourse 
and processes.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the life 
of Fred Martin. By all accounts, he lived a deeply meaningful life and 
will be dearly missed.

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