Don Martin is not an unusual man, but his decision to begin college in 2012 at age 67 might be considered unusual. When he discovered no one in his family had ever been to college, he said, “Well by golly, I am going to do it.”
As one of seven children, Don and his siblings were raised in a Catholic orphanage in Kankakee, Il. One of the nuns at the home told him, “He needed to help others.” That suggestion stayed with him through foster homes where he lived, at high school graduation in 1963, through the Vietnam War, and during most of his life as he worked at various jobs after settling in California.
Don’s only living sister resides in Indiana. He lost his other siblings to cancer.
Following a visit to a former brother-in-law who lived in the Sequatchie Valley, Don fell in love with the area and the mountains, which lead him to move to Dunlap, Tn.
Don has endured many physical hardships since 2003 when his health began declining. Like many of his siblings who had cancer, he has been treated for cancer of the kidney, urethra, bladder and prostate. Chemotherapy weakened his system and triggered Parkinson’s disease, but that wasn’t enough to thwart his dream of obtaining an education or doing what the nun suggested that he do with his life.
He has been enrolled in classes since 2012 at Chattanooga State’s Sequatchie-Bledsoe Site, however, a serious car accident in 2014 left Don with three broken ribs and damage to his neck and spine. Nevertheless, he was back at school two days following the accident and jokingly shares, “I know kids who stay home because they have a headache.”
Dunlap is one of those communities with limited Internet access. Without a computer at home and being now physically unable to drive, Don relied on getting to school to do his homework using the college’s computers. It was not unusual for him to arrive early in the morning and leave late in the evening. When he was unable to get a ride, he walked the 15 miles to and from the college, a 30-mile round trip.
Still thriving and thoroughly enjoying a collegiate environment, Don’s greatest wish is to graduate and go on to UTC for a degree in social services. He credits instructors Denis Kiely and Linda Varnell for support and refers to them as friends.
Pondering subjects he has taken, Don said mathematics is the hardest. “I wanted to quit, but Ms. Varnell wouldn’t let me. She worked with me until I understood what I was doing,” says Martin.
Late in 2015, Don suffered a slight stroke somewhat affecting his writing, and most recently had a heart attack in February requiring a stent procedure that he scheduled for spring break, so as not to interfere with his studies, however, his recovery is going slowly and he is not yet able to return to classes.
Don Martin is a man of integrity and great perseverance, overcoming enormous odds throughout his life because he wanted to help others. Starting college at an age when most people are retired or thinking of retiring left him pensive when asked if he had any regrets. “I regret not doing it (going to school) sooner,” said Martin.