Individual Details
Richard Craig Martin
(May 25, 1913 - )
"R. C. Martin was born in Montague County, Texas near the town of Nocona on 25 May 1913. As a child he moved with his family to several different places before they settled in Wellington, Collingsworth County, Texas. On 5 May 1937 he married Ida Isabelle Teague in Norman, Cleveland County, Oklahoma. Ida, daughter of Jack Teague and Mattie Blankenship, was born 11 January 1915 in Henryette, Okmulgee County, Oklahoma.
"GLIMPSES IN THE LIFE OF R. C. MARTIN by his wife Ida Martin.
"R. C. was called "Shorty" as a child, and by most of his family, until we were married. I started calling him R.C. We were married in Norman, Oklahoma in 1915 and are going on our 54th year of fighting the battle of the Red River. We went to California in August after being married, 5 May 1937, and have been in California ever since. R.C. worked as a butcher for a few years and in 1943 went to work for Kelite Chemical Company and retired from there in 1983. This company like so many others went through about three mergers with other companies but R.C. rose from the ranks as salesman to Vice President in charge of sales for all of the United States. We were transferred to Dallas, Texas in September of 1950 where he was in charge of eleven southern states and was successful enough there to be transferred back to Los Angeles where he made President of sales. R. C. traveled a lot and enjoyed it. He always had a lot of cowboy in him and in Texas we had three horses which we brought back to California with us. We bought an acre of land in Arcadia with a barn, orchard etc. ... the boys enjoyed horses but only until they found out about girls. R. C. joined the Cutting Horse Association and was soon showing cutting horses and also judging in his spare time. He judged the cutting horse finals of the U. S. A. in Las Vegas, Nevada and also the cutting horse division at the Calgary Stampede in Canada. He was President of the California Cutting Horse Association and was on the National Board of Directors for cutting horses. So on retirement we bought four acres in Wildomar, California and still train and sell cutting horses --- retirement?? R. C. works harder physically now than he ever has but enjoys every minute of it. He is a Past Master in the Masonic Lodge, a Shriner and was a Rotarian all of his life in the business world. He is now active in the Elks Lodge and plays golf.
"We have two boys, Richard Craig called "Dick" who was born in February 1940 and grew up to be 6 ft. 3 in and weighs 220 pounds. He went to the University of Oklahoma for his freshman year and then to the University of Southern California to graduate in 1962. From graduation he went to Quantico, Virginia to Officer Training school for the Marines where he became a Lieutenant in May 1963 and a Captain in 1966. He had two tours of duty in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot. Dick always said he was "IN" the Marines but it was his cousin, Travis Martin, who "WAS" a Marine.
"Dick was married in January of 1973 in Honolulu and the marriage end in 1982. He has been a single parent ever since and is raising a 14 year old son, Jason, in Temecula, about 14 miles from us. Jason will be tested for his Black belt in karate in May 1990. We call them the "Swinging Bachelors of Temecula". Dick was always involved in sales jobs and is now the owner of two "Martin's 1 Hour Photo Shop in Temecula.
"We have another son, Roger C. Martin, born in August 1942 who had grown up to 5 ft. l0 in. and weighs 165 pounds. He graduated from California State College in Los Angeles in 1966. He started flying for United Airlines in 1969 and was based in Cleveland, Newark, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. He was furloughed from United in 1971 and had several jobs while waiting to go back to flying. He worked as a jailer in the Santa Ana County Jail, a job he did not like but stayed with until he returned to United Airlines in 1977. He started back with United in the cargo section then was transferred to customer service then happily he went back to flying.
"Roger married in 1967 and was divorced in 1974. He has a daughter Leslie who was born in 1970 and she has lived with her Dad since the age of nine. The two of them live happily in Laguna Niguel, California. Roger wrote and published a book "Pigs and Other Animals" about his experiences as a jailer. This book is used in some colleges as a text book in criminology classes. He currently has a video that is about ready to hit the market and he is busy holding seminars on "How to overcome the fear of flying". Roger retired from United in February of 1985 due to a hearing problem that he now feels is stabilized. He has petitioned for his flying job back. We enjoyed his being with United and took full advantage of the opportunity to fly cheaply, as his parents, to England, Germany, Australia, Mexico, Canada and quite often to Hawaii.
"Our son Dick has two Masters Degrees and Roger has one. They are our pride and joy, neither smoke nor drink, except maybe a beer on a hot day, now and then. They have never been in any kind of trouble - we have been fortunate in that - plus most of the time they have lived pretty close to us. The six of us usually celebrate all the holidays together. Both sons have made wonderful parents to their children as well as wonderful sons to us. I think we will keep them.
"The boys have done all the things that you would expect a daughter to do. For example, they gave us a surprise party on our 25th wedding anniversary and did a repeat on our 50th in 1987 so we are looking forward to the 75th and we want to be surprised. Who needs daughters with sons like ours.
"We had a Martin family reunion at our place in 1987 with about 30 present. R. C.'s brother, Alvin, had a video he had made in Texas and it was fun to hear about "Shorty" and "Buster". This reunion was also the last time that all five brothers and sisters were together because Beatrice died the next year.
"I knew R.C.'s father, Albert Martin, a little. He was a very nice man and I wish he could have known our sons because he liked children so very much. R. C.'s mother, Laura Martin, was a very nice, good woman and was so proud of all her grandsons, 10 I think, before Alvin produced her one and only granddaughter.
"As for me ... I have been very happy ... running the Richard C. Martin family. If you don't believe the running part just ask R. C., Dick, Buck, Leslie and Jason. (Ida and Richard Craig Martin were living at Wildomar, California in 1992.)" (Written by Ida Martin, Wildomar, California to Reta Evans; with additional information from letters from Verda Westmoreland.)
"GLIMPSES IN THE LIFE OF R. C. MARTIN by his wife Ida Martin.
"R. C. was called "Shorty" as a child, and by most of his family, until we were married. I started calling him R.C. We were married in Norman, Oklahoma in 1915 and are going on our 54th year of fighting the battle of the Red River. We went to California in August after being married, 5 May 1937, and have been in California ever since. R.C. worked as a butcher for a few years and in 1943 went to work for Kelite Chemical Company and retired from there in 1983. This company like so many others went through about three mergers with other companies but R.C. rose from the ranks as salesman to Vice President in charge of sales for all of the United States. We were transferred to Dallas, Texas in September of 1950 where he was in charge of eleven southern states and was successful enough there to be transferred back to Los Angeles where he made President of sales. R. C. traveled a lot and enjoyed it. He always had a lot of cowboy in him and in Texas we had three horses which we brought back to California with us. We bought an acre of land in Arcadia with a barn, orchard etc. ... the boys enjoyed horses but only until they found out about girls. R. C. joined the Cutting Horse Association and was soon showing cutting horses and also judging in his spare time. He judged the cutting horse finals of the U. S. A. in Las Vegas, Nevada and also the cutting horse division at the Calgary Stampede in Canada. He was President of the California Cutting Horse Association and was on the National Board of Directors for cutting horses. So on retirement we bought four acres in Wildomar, California and still train and sell cutting horses --- retirement?? R. C. works harder physically now than he ever has but enjoys every minute of it. He is a Past Master in the Masonic Lodge, a Shriner and was a Rotarian all of his life in the business world. He is now active in the Elks Lodge and plays golf.
"We have two boys, Richard Craig called "Dick" who was born in February 1940 and grew up to be 6 ft. 3 in and weighs 220 pounds. He went to the University of Oklahoma for his freshman year and then to the University of Southern California to graduate in 1962. From graduation he went to Quantico, Virginia to Officer Training school for the Marines where he became a Lieutenant in May 1963 and a Captain in 1966. He had two tours of duty in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot. Dick always said he was "IN" the Marines but it was his cousin, Travis Martin, who "WAS" a Marine.
"Dick was married in January of 1973 in Honolulu and the marriage end in 1982. He has been a single parent ever since and is raising a 14 year old son, Jason, in Temecula, about 14 miles from us. Jason will be tested for his Black belt in karate in May 1990. We call them the "Swinging Bachelors of Temecula". Dick was always involved in sales jobs and is now the owner of two "Martin's 1 Hour Photo Shop in Temecula.
"We have another son, Roger C. Martin, born in August 1942 who had grown up to 5 ft. l0 in. and weighs 165 pounds. He graduated from California State College in Los Angeles in 1966. He started flying for United Airlines in 1969 and was based in Cleveland, Newark, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. He was furloughed from United in 1971 and had several jobs while waiting to go back to flying. He worked as a jailer in the Santa Ana County Jail, a job he did not like but stayed with until he returned to United Airlines in 1977. He started back with United in the cargo section then was transferred to customer service then happily he went back to flying.
"Roger married in 1967 and was divorced in 1974. He has a daughter Leslie who was born in 1970 and she has lived with her Dad since the age of nine. The two of them live happily in Laguna Niguel, California. Roger wrote and published a book "Pigs and Other Animals" about his experiences as a jailer. This book is used in some colleges as a text book in criminology classes. He currently has a video that is about ready to hit the market and he is busy holding seminars on "How to overcome the fear of flying". Roger retired from United in February of 1985 due to a hearing problem that he now feels is stabilized. He has petitioned for his flying job back. We enjoyed his being with United and took full advantage of the opportunity to fly cheaply, as his parents, to England, Germany, Australia, Mexico, Canada and quite often to Hawaii.
"Our son Dick has two Masters Degrees and Roger has one. They are our pride and joy, neither smoke nor drink, except maybe a beer on a hot day, now and then. They have never been in any kind of trouble - we have been fortunate in that - plus most of the time they have lived pretty close to us. The six of us usually celebrate all the holidays together. Both sons have made wonderful parents to their children as well as wonderful sons to us. I think we will keep them.
"The boys have done all the things that you would expect a daughter to do. For example, they gave us a surprise party on our 25th wedding anniversary and did a repeat on our 50th in 1987 so we are looking forward to the 75th and we want to be surprised. Who needs daughters with sons like ours.
"We had a Martin family reunion at our place in 1987 with about 30 present. R. C.'s brother, Alvin, had a video he had made in Texas and it was fun to hear about "Shorty" and "Buster". This reunion was also the last time that all five brothers and sisters were together because Beatrice died the next year.
"I knew R.C.'s father, Albert Martin, a little. He was a very nice man and I wish he could have known our sons because he liked children so very much. R. C.'s mother, Laura Martin, was a very nice, good woman and was so proud of all her grandsons, 10 I think, before Alvin produced her one and only granddaughter.
"As for me ... I have been very happy ... running the Richard C. Martin family. If you don't believe the running part just ask R. C., Dick, Buck, Leslie and Jason. (Ida and Richard Craig Martin were living at Wildomar, California in 1992.)" (Written by Ida Martin, Wildomar, California to Reta Evans; with additional information from letters from Verda Westmoreland.)
Events
| Birth | May 25, 1913 | Nocona, Montague County, Texas | |||
| Marriage | May 5, 1937 | Norman, Cleveland County, Oklahoma - Ida Isabelle Teague |
Families
| Spouse | Ida Isabelle Teague (1915 - ) |
| Father | James Oscar Albert Martin (1886 - 1939) |
| Mother | Laura Jane McCann (1885 - 1975) |
| Sibling | Verda Mable Martin (1907 - ) |
| Sibling | William Franklin "Buster" Martin (1910 - ) |
| Sibling | Joy Beatrice Martin (1915 - 1988) |
| Sibling | Alvin Piercy Martin (1921 - ) |