Cal Poly

Abstract:

The personal papers of Alice Martin, a civic-minded woman of color known for her charitable nature and donation of hours of community service, consists of her writings, war records, photographs and personal papers.

She dedicated her time to her church, affordable housing consortiums, and services for the economically disadvantaged and elderly in the County of San Luis Obispo. She was among the many black families who came to San Luis Obispo in the early 1940s whose husbands or relatives were training at Camp San Luis.

Finding Aid

• OAC — Search the electronic finding aid for this collection at the Online Archive of California.
• PDF — Download the complete finding aid

Descriptive Summary

• Title: Alice M. Martin Papers, 1943-2004 (bulk 1943-1993)
• Collection Number: MS 122
• Creator: Martin, Alice M., 1907-2004
• Extent: 8 document boxes
• Language: English

Biographical Note

Alice Mae Martin, an African American and native of Illinois, came to San Luis Obispo, California in 1942 with her then husband Clarence F. Martin while he was stationed at Camp San Luis Obispo. Following his deployment she moved back to her home base in Montana. She returned to live in San Luis Obispo permanently in 1969.

Martin worked most of her adult life, well into her 70s. During her early working years, she served as a mechanical helper/aircraft fitter and a laundry presser for the U. S. War Department at military camps in Montana and Arizona during World War II. When her husband was transferred to California, she joined him, working at Camp Roberts in Monterey Co., then locally at Camp San Luis Obispo, as a presser. Later on, she operated the steam presses at Paul's Cleaners, a retail dry cleaners still in business today on South Higuera St. Included in the collection is the original apron she wore as part of her work uniform there. She also held jobs as a nanny and housekeeper.

Details of her birth are unconfirmed and among the records in the collection are her queries attempting to establish details about her birthplace and year of birth (variously stated as 1907 and 1912).

She was known for her charitable nature and the donation of hours of community service to her church; affordable housing consortiums; and services for the economically disadvantaged and elderly in the city of San Luis Obispo. She volunteered for many organizations including Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), the Housing Authority, the Boy Scouts, Grace Church, the Red Cross, and the Salvation Army.

A strong advocate of affordable housing, she served as a Commissioner for the Housing Authority for the City of San Luis Obispo for many years. Martin received much recognition for her contributions, most notably on the eve of her 97th birthday when the SLO County Community Foundation honored her for more than 10,000 hours of community service to the City of San Luis Obispo. This honor exemplified her life of service to her church, neighbors, friends, and community.

Martin had only a sixth-grade education, but read extensively, and was an ardent poet. She died in San Luis Obispo, September 11, 2004, at 97 years of age.

Sources

"Alice Martin." [Obituary] The Tribune, (San Luis Obispo, CA) 19 Sept. 2004: n.p.

Personal reminiscences, Ruth Smith

Scope and Content

Personal papers of Alice Martin, a civic-minded woman of color known for her charitable nature and donation of hours of community service. Consists of her writings, war records, photographs and personal papers.

She dedicated her time to her church, affordable housing consortiums, and services for the economically disadvantaged and elderly in the City of San Luis Obispo. She was among the many black families who came to the city of San Luis Obispo in the early 1940s, whose husbands or relatives were training at Camp San Luis.

Where possible, the provenance, or original organization, of the papers has been preserved. However, in order to simplify access to the collection for researchers, some materials in specific formats and topics were reorganized and refoldered to more accurately reflect their contents.

The Alice Martin Papers are divided into 5 series:

1. Personal Papers, 1937-2004
2. Volunteer Activities, 1971-2004
3. Writings, 1951-1988
4. Photographs, undated
5. Artifacts, undated

The Alice Martin Papers are housed in 8 document boxes with Series 1 - 3 containing the most extensive and unique portions of the collection, which include her World War II civilian service records, volunteer activities and her writings.