Interview with Mrs. Charles Whitman

Partial Transcript: Robert Richard Martin was born in McKinney, Kentucky, December the 27th, 1910, the fifth child of Annie Francis Martin and Henry Franklin Martin.

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Whitman, Dr. Martin's elder sister of two years, discusses Dr. Martin's early life and his nature as a child.

Keywords: childhood; family

Subjects: Lincoln County, Kentucky

Partial Transcript: My dad owned a flour mill, and when he came home at night, he would divide up all his pennies between us kids... my mother would tell me to take my pennies and buy some candy so Bob would come home with me, otherwise he wouldn't come.

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Whitman discusses Dr. Martin's early school years and his speech impairment as a child. She talks about her families employment and how they moved often due to her fathers job in real estate. Mrs. Whitman later details her fathers medical history, and when the family first owned a car.

Keywords:

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Bob was a good student. Everything always seemed to come easy for him; I think he had a photographic mind.

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Whitman shares stories about her and Dr. Martin's time at school, including their competitive nature with each other. She discusses Dr. Martin's early academic brilliance and his inability to play sports, and explains what she and her siblings did for fun after school.

Keywords: competitive; education; inspiration; student

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Our two older sisters had already gone to Eastern to school... Bob loved to argue.

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Whitman shares some personal stories about Dr. Martin's childhood, including his love of practical jokes, and adds that her family was committed to education.

Keywords: debate; encourage

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Partial Transcript: Our home life wasn't like family life like it is today. Our parents didn't have any trouble with their children.

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Whitman discusses her family's home life as a close and loving environment. She further details Dr. Martin's love of jokes and storytelling and that as he got older he became more confident.

Keywords: brilliant; childhood; chores; farm; storyteller

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: I lived with my married sister, that was when the Great Depression hit, and I wasn't aware that my parents were about to lose everything.

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Whitman explains the effect of the Great Depression on her family. She details that while Dr. Martin was finishing up high school, the family lost all property in Lincoln County and moved to Richmond, where Dr. Martin would attend Eastern with just enough money to pay for the entrance fee and gas.

Keywords: banks; education; farm

Subjects: Great Depression Richmond, KY

Partial Transcript: Eastern was nothing like it is today, there were only about 1,500 students, a few buildings, the campus was very small...

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Whitman discusses Dr. Martin's time at Eastern, mentioning how different the campus was back then. She recalls Dr. Martin's election as president of his senior class, and his later volunteering for World War II.

Keywords: enrollment; married; president; teaching

Subjects: Eastern Kentucky State College World War II

Partial Transcript: After he got out of the army he went to Columbia University and completed his work for his doctorate in education, it was after this his education payed off.

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Whitman expresses pride in her brother for his commitment to education, and details Dr. Martin's career since graduating from Columbia.

Keywords: commissioner of finance; outstanding; president; proud

Subjects: Columbia University Eastern Kentucky State College