House Resolution 8 - Introduced 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 1 and the contributions of the Martin family to the 2 education of Black students in Iowa. 3 WHEREAS, Archie and Nancy Martin were born into 4 slavery in the American South and began migrating north 5 with their six adult children in 1913, moving from 6 Austell, Georgia, to Ames, Iowa, in 1915; and 7 WHEREAS, Archie found work as an assistant to the 8 yardmaster with the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad 9 and Nancy worked as a cook for a local doctor and 10 a Greek house on the campus of the then-Iowa State 11 College; and 12 WHEREAS, Iowa State College welcomed students of 13 color, and George Washington Carver, the first Black 14 student at Iowa State College, graduated in 1896; and 15 WHEREAS, until the late 1940s, it was unofficial 16 policy at Iowa State College that Black students had 17 to room together, creating difficulties in finding 18 housing for the few Black students at Iowa State 19 College and effectively forcing them to find housing 20 off campus; and 21 -1- LSB 2930YH (4) 91 ss/jh 1/ 3
H.R. 8 WHEREAS, Archie and three of his sons built the 1 Martin House around 1919 at 218 Lincoln Way in Ames, 2 Iowa, where it still stands to this day as a local 3 historic landmark; and 4 WHEREAS, Archie always believed in education as a 5 means of getting ahead in life, and expressed concern 6 when he learned about the restrictive housing policy at 7 Iowa State College, leading him to discuss the matter 8 several times with the president of Iowa State College, 9 which eventually led to Black students having an easier 10 time finding housing on campus; and 11 WHEREAS, throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Archie and 12 Nancy opened their homes to Black students at Iowa 13 State College, allowing them to live on the upper floor 14 of the Martin House; and 15 WHEREAS, during this period, around 20 students 16 lived and dined with the Martin family at various 17 times, and the Martins also hosted local gatherings and 18 distinguished guests at the Martin House, including 19 George Washington Carver and Jack Trice, the first 20 Black athlete at Iowa State College; and 21 WHEREAS, in 2004, the Board of Regents honored the 22 legacy of the Martin family by approving the naming of 23 Martin Hall, a student housing building on the campus 24 of Iowa State University; and 25 WHEREAS, in 2008, the Ames branch of the NAACP 26 established the Nancy and Archie Martin Woman of the 27 Year Award and the Martin Foundation established a 28 scholarship to provide support for students of color 29 who demonstrate financial need and exemplify the 30 -2- LSB 2930YH (4) 91 ss/jh 2/ 3
H.R. 8 Martin legacy of kindness and community service; NOW 1 THEREFORE, 2 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 3 That the House of Representatives honors the legacy of 4 Archie and Nancy Martin and the contributions they made 5 to the education and advancement of Black students at 6 Iowa State University. 7 -3- LSB 2930YH (4) 91 ss/jh 3/ 3