HR 8 (LSB 2930YH (4) 91)

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 8

BY  R. JOHNSON, ANDREWS, BAGNIEWSKI, JAMES, WICHTENDAHL, KRESSIG, AMOS JR., GEARHART, OLSON, WESSEL-KROESCHELL, JUDGE, WELDON, BARKER, MADISON, KNIFF MCCULLA, WOOD, LATHAM, BLOOMINGDALE, CROKEN, HARRIS, NORDMAN, LOHSE, ZABNER, GJERDE, DUNWELL, NIELSEN, JACOBY, SRINIVAS, SCHEETZ, EHLERT, McBURNEY, SHIPLEY, GERHOLD, WILZ, MOHR, GEHLBACH, WULF, HORA, LUNDGREN, and BOSSMAN

A Resolution to recognize Archie and Nancy Martin and the contributions of the Martin family to the education of Black students in Iowa.

   WHEREAS, Archie and Nancy Martin were born into slavery in the American South and began migrating north with their six adult children in 1913, moving from Austell, Georgia, to Ames, Iowa, in 1915; and
   WHEREAS, Archie found work as an assistant to the yardmaster with the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad and Nancy worked as a cook for a local doctor and a Greek house on the campus of the then-Iowa State College; and
   WHEREAS, Iowa State College welcomed students of color, and George Washington Carver, the first Black student at Iowa State College, graduated in 1896; and
   WHEREAS, until the late 1940s, it was unofficial policy at Iowa State College that Black students had to room together, creating difficulties in finding housing for the few Black students at Iowa State College and effectively forcing them to find housing off campus; and
   WHEREAS, Archie and three of his sons built the Martin House around 1919 at 218 Lincoln Way in Ames, Iowa, where it still stands to this day as a local historic landmark; and
   WHEREAS, Archie always believed in education as a means of getting ahead in life, and expressed concern when he learned about the restrictive housing policy at Iowa State College, leading him to discuss the matter several times with the president of Iowa State College, which eventually led to Black students having an easier time finding housing on campus; and
   WHEREAS, throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Archie and Nancy opened their homes to Black students at Iowa State College, allowing them to live on the upper floor of the Martin House; and
   WHEREAS, during this period, around 20 students lived and dined with the Martin family at various times, and the Martins also hosted local gatherings and distinguished guests at the Martin House, including George Washington Carver and Jack Trice, the first Black athlete at Iowa State College; and
   WHEREAS, in 2004, the Board of Regents honored the legacy of the Martin family by approving the naming of Martin Hall, a student housing building on the campus of Iowa State University; and
   WHEREAS, in 2008, the Ames branch of the NAACP established the Nancy and Archie Martin Woman of the Year Award and the Martin Foundation established a scholarship to provide support for students of color who demonstrate financial need and exemplify the Martin legacy of kindness and community service; NOW THEREFORE,

   BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That the House of Representatives honors the legacy of Archie and Nancy Martin and the contributions they made to the education and advancement of Black students at Iowa State University.