Chester Martin with one of his masterful creations
Chester Y. Martin, painter, sculptor and Chattanoogan.com writer, died unexpectedly last Wednesday at the age of 87.
The lifelong resident of Chattanooga and graduate of Kirkman Technical High School and the University of Chattanooga loved the history of his city and could relate stories of particular events with great enthusiasm. A visitor would often be taken to Lookout Mountain or Chickamauga battlefields and informed of the battlefield plan, the state of the art aquarium, art museum, Medal of Honor Museum, TVA facilities or a game of the double A Chattanooga Lookouts.
A special treat would be a visit to the old train station (now hotel), a ride on the Incline Railroad up to Lookout Mountain, a tour of "Rock City" and a visit to the Chattanooga National Cemetery where the Andrews Raiders monument is a highlight. (The early railroads of the area, highlighted by the raid on "the General" would be an oft-visited art theme of his).
During his service stateside in the Air Force, he would take his leave in Europe, traveling around with his 8mm camera, taking in the sights and vistas. Visitors would often be quizzed on cloud formations and contrails.
His graphic arts education got him jobs as an illustrator, but he was fond of painting in water colors or oils scenes of old Chattanooga or classic rural hillside cabins. One of the murals done for a local club has been saved and was re-located to the visitor bureau office at the Chattanooga Municipal airport (Lovell Field) (CHA).
Some of his porcelain works honored local Chattanooga sites. Done in a bi-colored Wedgewood style, the Fireman's Fountain was so honored, as is St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, done at a time when he was trying to expand his market.
Other porcelain works included an early streetcar of St. Elmo Car Line as well as the Nyberg automobile, a locally built car.
In the mid-1960s, he entered several contests for U.S. commemorative stamp designs and every now and then he entered the national and state water fowl stamp contests.
When the American Medallic Sculpture Association was founded he was an early member and he began to learn the skills needed to do bas-relief work. He attended the 1984 three-week John Cook Medallic Workshop at Penn State. His work was selected for an F.A.O. medal (1982), a Society of Medalists Medal (1980, Snail and Galaxy, SOM 50th Anniversary) and a Brookgreens Garden Medal (1984) (where a large bronze version of his SOM Snail is on display) and a FIDEM 50th Anniversary medal (1987). He attended the FIDEM congresses in Florence (1983), London (1992), and Budapest (1994) and had medals exhibited at most between 1983 and 2017).
From 1986-1992 Chester was a sculptor/engraver at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. He designed the congressional medals for Andrew Wyeth and General Colin Powell. In the modern commemorative series he did the reverse of the 1992 White House Bicentennial Silver Dollar. Mint list medals include those for the Director's Conference and Yosemite National Park Centennial.
In 1993 he was awarded the American Numismatic Association's Numismatic Art Award for Excellence in Medallic Sculpture.
His watercolors had been represented by the Seaside Art Gallery in Nag's Head, North Carolina.
His medallic works are represented in the collections of the Smithsonian, British Museum and Royal Swedish Coin Cabinet.among others.
Since the mid-2010s he had been writing a column for Chattanoogan.com and the Chattanooga Times Free Press and they are available easily via a Google search.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Woodfin B. Martin and Mabel Young Martin, and several beloved pets, the last of whom was a chihuahua named Pokey.
He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Patricia Ann Parnell Martin, daughter and son-in-law Sharon and Doug "Sparky" McLain, grandsons Forrest Pruitt (Nicole) and Ian Pruitt, step-granddaughters Kalyn McLain Billings (Aaron) and Jenna McLain, step great-grandsons Aaron Billings, Jr. and Alexander Billings.
He donated his body to Vanderbilt for research; there may be a simple service at a later date.