Our Life

who is marty?

Husband, Father, Son, Teacher

I was born in 1961 in South Bend, Indiana, to my parents Tom and Sandy. I was their first-born and only son. They would bring into this world four other siblings, all daughters, and we all have been given first names beginning with the letter “M”.

During my youth I was a very rambunctious kid. I would constantly test the boundaries of whatever I was doing. At age two I explored the concept of a ladder only to fall off of it at the third rung and receive a few stitches in my head. I tried to take on our dog, a boxer, and lost finishing with a big knot on my forehead. At age ten, playing sandlot baseball I dove for a ball only to come up with a broken beer bottle embedded in my hand. Needless to say, I was on a first name basis with the emergency room doctors and nurses.

As I look back on my life so far, I think my childhood was a good indication of where my life would direct me. I was always curious and I wanted to accomplish so much more than anyone I knew. I was competitive. I hated to lose. Playing tackle football in my front yard with a neighborhood friend, I made it my mission that I wasn’t going to lose or allow him to ever score a point. As a result, I strive to succeed.

I don’t look at trying to win awards in what I do. I look towards a self-satisfaction of what I did that day. Did I do the best that I could do? While I have been recognized by my peers in a variety of areas, it doesn’t beat that feeling at the end of the day when you know you did your best. That is why I teach.

It is such a wow feeling when a child “Gets It” for the very first time. When you get a note from a former student who says, “You don’t know how much you have impacted my life.” That is what I hope to do as I look to tomorrow. I want to continue to inspire which means I need to be tenacious today as I live with Parkinson’s. I won’t let it bring me down because I hate to lose.

In my life I have owned small businesses including a disc jockey service and a retail store; I have broadcasted sports on the radio; coached college basketball and other sports on the elementary, middle school and high school levels; was employed as a chef; and today I teach. I have approached each profession looking to become the best I could be.

Lastly, I am in the best phase of my life so far. I have a fantastic partner in my wife. I use that same tenacity in being a good husband, step-father, and prayer leader in our home. God has blessed me with her and I am so thankful. So yes, I am humbled to know that in her I have met my match, my confidant, and my soul mate.