Martin, Dr. Elizabeth

Dr. Elizabeth Ann Fox Martin, a longtime college professor at the University at South Alabama and a women's rights activist, died on Ash Wednesday, February 26, 2020, at her home in Mobile, Ala. She was 91. Dr. Martin was a woman of deep faith, devoted to her family, and a dedicated professor at the University of South Alabama for 26 years. She was born on March 15, 1928, in Burke's Garden, Va., the daughter of Lucille and George Fox. She attended schools in Burke's Garden, graduating as valedictorian of her senior class from Burke's Garden High School. In later years, Dr. Martin enjoyed visiting the family farm where she grew up in the bucolic agrarian community. She married Paul Jefferson Martin in 1946, in Virginia. After his death in a boating accident in 1958, she and their three children moved to Alabama. Widowed at 30, she raised her children while living on campus and attending classes at the University of Alabama. She earned her bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees at the university, specializing in math and science secondary education. In 1965-66, Dr. Martin taught at the University of Louisiana, New Orleans. She then moved to Mobile and was a professor at the University of South Alabama until 1992, teaching math and science to secondary school teachers. She created and led workshops in many science subjects, including aerospace and marine education, and continued to offer them for several years after leaving full-time teaching. Over the years, Dr. Martin became a national leader in aerospace education, was a member of the Civil Air Patrol, and worked closely with the FAA and NASA. She was invited by NASA and attended the launches of Apollo 15 and STS-4, the fourth Space Shuttle mission. She earned many honors for her professional and volunteer work, including awards from the Air Force Association, the Alabama Education Association and the University of South Alabama. In 1981, the National Congress on Air and Space Education inducted Dr. Martin into its prestigious Crown Circle for her "long and faithful service to aerospace education." In the early 1970s, Dr. Martin was a lead plaintiff in a class-action suit against the university, claiming sex discrimination, based on the fact that she and other female educators earned less than their male counterparts. After years of litigation, the suit was settled in the women's favor and it became a model for similar equal-pay lawsuits across the nation. She remained a staunch advocate for women's rights in education and other fields. A lifelong Democrat, she was an active volunteer in state politics and political campaigns for many years and in 1985 was named Woman of the Year by the Alabama Women's Political Caucus. Dr. Martin taught her children to take pride in their personal and professional pursuits, to have compassion for the less fortunate, and to fight for justice. She was predeceased in 1999 by her second husband, Joseph Meek. Her two sons also died earlier, Paul Jefferson Martin Jr. in 2003 and Stephen Lawrence Martin this past December. Her sister, Helen Louise Fox Strong, died in 2013. Survivors include a daughter and son-in-law, Carolyn Martin and Robert Rand of Chevy Chase, Md.; two grandsons, Paul Martin and his wife, Nicole, of Grand Bay, and Michael Martin of Mobile; two daughters-in-law, Dianne Martin of Mobile, and Millie McNeil of Birmingham; great-grandsons, Collin Martin and Chase Clark; nieces, a nephew, step-grandsons, cousins, a grandniece and grandnephews. A Celebration of Life was held March 6, 2020, at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mobile. Memorial contributions may be made to the United Methodist Inner City Mission, 913 S. Broad St., Mobile, AL 36603, the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation, P.O. Box 82151, Mobile, AL 36689, or to a charity of one's choice.