Ray Martin and his wife Phyllis moved their family to Massachusetts in 1959 from South Carolina. In all the decades of Ray’s varied service in New England he retained a certain courtliness and a touch of southern drawl. After Ray passed away, his wife Phyllis explained why they came north: “It was 1958, and our church refused to allow Blacks to attend. We couldn’t be part of that.”
Ray joined the CHS faculty as a science teacher but in true servant leader fashion, Ray was always willing to do whatever needed to be done. He had a degree in chemical engineering, and had earned a master’s degree from Columbia Bible College, so he was well qualified to teach a variety of subjects. During the Garden Street years Jake Hoffman ’64 had him for Algebra I, New Testament Survey, chemistry, physics, mechanical drawing, plus another Bible course. Shortly after the school moved to Lexington, they needed a math teacher, but the best applicant had stronger credentials in the sciences, so Ray volunteered to shift to math.
His gentle manner, solid academics, and deeply-held faith influenced students well into the 1990s. As Jordan Orvosh ’96 put it, “He was so kind, so gentle, yet a rock – solid, strong; you could completely rely on his word.” Ray was highly regarded by both students and faculty. Ray was always willing to do something extra to make it easier on his colleagues. It was not unusual for him to substitute or cover study halls. He never asked a colleague to do anything he wouldn’t do himself. Ray with the help of board member Mike Doreau, was responsible for moving LCA into the computer age. When the school computer was a huge piece of equipment, Ray was the one who knew how to use it. As technology became more accessible, Ray taught basic programming classes for students and helped faculty access the new tools.
Mr. Martin had a green chalk board in his office covered with colored tags. Each tag represented a faculty member and a course. In the days before computers, the schedule was designed by moving the tags around. Ray often sat in front of the board contemplating how to move the tags to ensure that no teacher had two classes scheduled in the same period and that students had the courses they wanted. Ray spent hours teaching Kim Winsor how to design the schedule. When Ray became interim head of school in 1989 he asked Kim to take on the role of his assistant because she understood the schedule and how to manage the daily operations. When Barry Koops became head of school, Ray recommended that Kim become middle school coordinator. Ray shared the academic director responsibilities with Kim for many years. Ray did serious succession planning to ensure that the transition would be smooth when he had to stop working due to his health. He served the school for 38 years (1959-1997) and his influence is still obvious. Ray’s service and dedication were honored in the celebration of LCA’s 50 years in 1996.
Ray’s wife, Phyllis served the school as both a volunteer and an employee. She assisted in the library for many years and did many important tasks with joy and great patience. She preferred to work behind the scenes but students loved Mrs. Martin and were always glad to see her. She prayed for the school faithfully. When she retired at over 80 years of age, she was greatly missed. In her own quiet way, she touched the lives of so many students, coworkers, and families.
Written and edited by the story.lca.edu Timeline Team. To read more about the rich history of LCA and its faithful stewards who made LCA the place of excellence it is today, visit story.lca.edu.