AAWRE Honors the Life and Legacy of James Martin

AAWRE honors the life and legacy of James Lenial Martin who passed away peacefully on January 3, 2023 at the age of 75. Dr. Martin was an AAWRE founding Diplomate and an Emeritus Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Mississippi State University. For two decades, he served as Professor and Kelly Gene Cook, Sr. Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MSU. He taught and conducted research concerning water quality modeling and assessment.

In his notable civil engineering career, James conducted studies while a Research Civil Engineer with the Water Quality and Contaminant Modeling Branch with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station (WES), while Vice President and Director of Engineering with AScI Corporation, and while a Research Environmental Scientist with the U.S Environmental Protection Agency at its Large Lakes Research Station. For five years he provided contract support to the U.S. EPA Center for Exposure Assessment Modeling through model development, providing technical assistance to the EPA, state and local agencies, and through model application.

Dr. Martin authored/coauthored over 100 technical reports and publications, including E.P.A. guidance documents and model user documentation. He is the former Editor of the ASCE Journal of Energy Engineering, former Chair of the Executive Committee, ASCE Energy Division, and former member of the ASCE Technical Activities Committee (TAC). He has been involved in the development of a number of hydrodynamic and water quality models in common usage. He is author of the textbook Hydro-Environmental Analysis: Fresh-Water Environments (December 2013), senior editor and author of Energy Production and Reservoir Water Quality (2007) and senior author of the textbook Hydrodynamics and Transport for Water Quality Modeling (1999). He was a Board Certified Environmental Engineer of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers, a Fellow of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI), and Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

James was born on December 4, 1947 in Amarillo, TX. He served his country from 1971 to 1974 in the Texas National Guard Airborne infantry and received numerous Certificates of Commendation from the U.S. Department of the Army. James achieved his B.S. in Wildlife Science from Texas A&M University, 1970; M.S. in Biology/Marine Biology, Southwest Texas State University, 1976; B.S. in Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, 1981; and Ph.D. in Civil/Environmental Engineering, Texas A & M University, 1984.

James was preceded in death by his granddaughter Jocelyn Parker and niece, Rene Pariseault. He is survived by his wife, Joyce Thomas Martin; children Shelly Parker (Jason), LT Emily Jacobs (Casey), and Marjorie Pevey (David); eight grandchildren: Jackson Parker, Chase Parker, Luke Parker, Camden Jacobs, Evan Jacobs, Samuel Pevey, Tristyn Pevey, and Gabriel Pevey; sister Linda Martin; niece Michele Pariseault; great-nephews and great-nieces Paul Miller, Adam Casey, and Toni Miller; and great-great nephew Carter Ingram.

A Celebration of Life Service was held in his honor at Athens Cotton Press on January 14 in Athens, GA.

Contributions may be made in honor and memory of James:

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105
Tel: 1-800-805-5856
Web: http://stjude.org/donate

>To sign Tribute page for James or plant a tree in his honor

Dennis Truax: "I worked with James for two decades and found him a gentleman and a scholar.  Dedicated to water resource protection, Dr. Martin never stopped seeking better ways to modeling aqueous environments.  As an educator, he loved the opportunity to share his knowledge and learn from his students.  He is missed.”

John J. Ramirez-Avila: "His passing is an immense loss for his family, friends and a broad professional community. James was a friend to everyone he met, an outstanding professor and mentor for many students and professionals, including myself. An outstanding professional, but beyond that a wonderful person whose legacy will live on not only through his family, but in all the people he kindly touched in their heart."

William H. McAnally: "People often said of James “What a nice guy.” He was that and more. In our 40 years’ of working together and apart he consistently demonstrated great intelligence and dedication to improving water quality through engineering, writing, and teaching. He is missed but the wonderful ripples he created will propagate throughout time."

Steven Chapra: "In my 40 years as an academic, I have been blessed to have nurtured many outstanding graduate students. Little did I know, when I took my first faculty position at Texas A&M University, that my first PhD student, James Martin, would be my best. Most of my finest grad students have been non-traditional students. James, as with most non-traditionals, was mature, highly motivated, very hard working, and required little supervision. Together with his innate brilliance, keen insights, and passion for nature and the environment, these characteristics made him the perfect PhD candidate. Plus, his integrity, kindness, and sense of humor, made him the perfect friend. Over the years, to watch him excel and make great contributions to environmental engineering has been one of my life’s greatest blessings. In my mind, he will forever be one of nature’s noblemen. I will cherish and celebrate his memory for the rest of my days."