Martin Family Trivia

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Did You Know...?

• Before Zora Martin was married she broke eggs full-time at Seymour Foods while rooming in a North Topeka home. Zora and Harry Martin were to be married on July 4, 1936, but they got married on July 1st instead. It rained July 1st and Harry couldn't get into the fields to work, so he went to see Zora and they got married that day instead. Mary Rodecap meet George Martin at the Topeka Free Fair while she was a high school student and was running around with George's sister, Bonnie. George had watched Mary play foreward in high school girl's basketball, which was well-attended by the Meriden community. She played basketball all 4 years of high school and also played on a softball team while working at the Supply Depot near Forbes Field after high school. She played first base for the "Blue Streaks." Bob Martin met Donna when she was a student in the class he taught at Clark's School of Business in downtown Topeka. They married in 1957. Linda Wilson is active with arobic exercise. Her son, Kevin, has a black belt in karate and teaches karate at his own place of business. Wedding anniversaries:
• Chris and Millie were married November 19, 1934 Lewis and Velma were married December 24, 1935 Harry and Zora were married July 1, 1936 Roberta and Joyce were married August 6, 1950 Jack and Gerry were married August 16, 1947 George and Mary were married March 17, 1946 Bonnie and Ben were married November 2, 1946 Bill and Leota were married September 12, 1948
• Bob and Donna were married August 9, 1957
• Harland Metzger, the brother of Velma Metzger Martin played violin in the Meriden Community Band. Granddad Cleve Martin gave him his violin. Velma's other brother , Gail, often sang in public. Granddad Cleve Martin played violin, mandolin, guitar, banjo, baritone ukulele and harmonica. He also recited poetry and sang. Granddad's mandolin was ruined in the North Topeka flood in 1951. He like to give his grandchildren mathematics puzzles to work out in their heads and would occassionally make a grandchild jump by whistling loudly while poking young ribs. Granddad Cleve Martin loved to visit with company and he'd read western novels when no company was around. He would get fresh novels each week from the North Topeka bookmobile. He would pencil a smal "x" in the upper corner of page 100 in each novel he had read, so when he picked books to check out he could tell at a glance if they were ones he'd read before. The mobile library staff figured out his system and would have a batch western novels picked out and waiting for him each visit he made to the bookmobile. The first time he found novels waiting for him, he was so delighted that he went home and had Grandma Mabel Martin bake a treat for the library staff, which he took back that same day, warm from the oven. The Martin young people used a '29 Chevy with its hood painted red when dating. They often went on double dates with a brother or sister. Grandma Mabel Martin lived to be 103. She lived in her own home in North Topeka, quilted and did handiwork, and had a nice collection of owls. She was on local TV on the occassion of her 100th birthday in 1985. Jack Martin was a barber until he retired in 1978. He gave a lot of his nephews their first haircuts. Now he volunteers for a variety of charties and enjoys playing golf. Lewis Martin worked for a sheet metal manufacturer in Huntington Beach, CA. His company assisted in the war effort during WWII. Later they did property manufacturing for Hollywood movies. On his first drive to California, during the Depression, Lewis found himself waylaid in the American Northwest where he worked briefly for the Union Pacific railway, then fought forest fires from a CCC camp (Civilian Conservation Corp). He came back to Kansas to marry Velma Metzger at Christmas in 1935, then finally made the drive all the way to his original destination in California with his bride to start their lives together.
• Joyce Sooter spent his professional career as a high school teacher. He taught wood shop and driver's education. He loved to work in wood, especially walnut. He built his home and some of the furniture.

Photos © 1997, 1998 by Carol Yoho
Select the small photo to see the larger version:

Ruth and Roger celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary on Jun 30, 1998.			Ruth and Roger pose behind the cake made by Ruth's mother, Leota. At picture's left are Roger's parents.
Phyllis and David celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary on May 20, 1998.			Andrea is the keeper of her family's official e-mail address. Here she is with her dad, Ed.
Roberta Sooter collects buttons. Here she is with a portion of her collection.			Jack moved into an apartment in July 1997. He is reachable via the same phone number he has always had. He still enjoys playing golf.
Stacie Martin, Dick's oldest daughter returned from a year in Switzerland last July. After 1 year of college in Iowa, she transfered to Georgetown U.			In February 1997 Roberta introduced her family to grandson Robert from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Robert just finished Phase I of Air Force language training and will continue training in Texas.
Linda, Lori and Ken Wilson posed for a photograph at Bob Martin's house, Feb. 1997.			In April 1997 we visited Ed in Wamego and had supper with him and his sons, Phillip and Joshua.

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