HomeMy WebLinkAbout4617-17 Supporting the renaming of the former Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. to Charles Martin Sr. DriveAttest:
RESOLUTION
No. 4617 -17
Passed by the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana
February 13, 20 17,
Presented by me to the Mayor of the City of South Bend, Indiana
February 14. 20 17.
Approved and signed by me
City Clerk
President of Common Council
City Clerk
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` W,5- RESOLUTION NO. 4 Lo I q ' 19 -�-
A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA,
SUPPORTING THE RENAMING OF THE FORMER MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. BLVD TO
CHARLES MARTIN SR. DRIVE
N", in every community, there are individuals who prove to be agents of change, uniquely gifted
with the ability to motivate others in heroic ways. Charles E. Martin, Sr. was such an individual, remarkable not
only in the number of lives he influenced, but also in the ways he influenced them; and
(A, Charles Martin was born August 3, 1943 in Jackson, Tennessee. He and five brothers and sisters
were raised in South Bend by his parents, James and Luvinia Martin. Charles Martin graduated from Central High
School in 1963, from Ball State University in 1967, and was a teacher and coach at LaSalle High School from
1967 to 1970. He joined the Michiana YMCA in 1970 and became Director of the Urban Youth Services program
in 1972; and
G%", for the next 22 years, Charles Martin operated an extensive educational network to motivate
minority young people to achieve academic excellence. His work with the YMCA and South Bend Community
Schools provided him daily contact with thousands of youth who benefited from his programs, including the
Academic Contract and Outstanding Minority Student Award; and
N", Charles Martin's motto was "Touch a life every day," and he practiced it through personal
contact and local community organizations including the Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation, Leaders & Positive
Role Models, Ladies of Distinction, Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, the South Bend School Boosters, Big
Brothers /Big Sisters, the Kiwanis Club, and many other organizations. He was named a Sagamore of the Wabash
by Gov. Orr in 1987 and Gov. Bayh in 1990, and was inducted into the South Bend Hall of Fame in 1990. The
Charles Martin "Touch a Life" Scholarship was established to provide academically motivated African- American
students from St. Joseph County with tuition assistance and an opportunity to give back to their community while
gaining meaningful work experience in the process; and
6l)" Charles Martin passed away June 2, 1994. Several months earlier, he learned that a building
owned and rehabilitated by the South Bend Heritage Foundation would be named the Charles Martin Youth
Center in his honor. The Center was dedicated August 2, 1995, and has become the embodiment of Charles
Martin's dedication to youth.
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Section I. The Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana is pleased to support the street
renaming of the former Martin Luther Kina. Jr. Blvd to Charles Martin Sr. Drive.
Section II. Charles Martin's legacy of advocating for youth and community, lives on in the lives he
touched. Mr. Martin recognized the connection between education and a better life and strived to reach out to
children and teach them the importance of academic schooling.
and fter '
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David Varner, 5t' District
by the Council