With a father who was a college professor, Air Force officer, and a military liaison to the United States Embassy, Justice Mark Martin should have known he would be on the path to success early in his life.
Justice Martin’s father (now deceased) was a highly educated man who had a good work ethic that led to some unique career opportunities. Growing up, his family moved a number of times before landing a place to call home in North Carolina. After retiring from the Air Force, his father served as a professor at Western Carolina University (WCU).
Justice Martin enrolled in WCU’s honors program in 1981. At WCU, he participated in the recruitment process, and ended up joining Delta Sig’s Delta Omicron Chapter because he was impressed with the high caliber of men. His fraternal undergraduate experience was incredible. He considers this the time he cultivated his leadership skills as a young man. “My participation with student government and Delta Sigma Phi helped me become who I am today,” replied Justice Martin. Learning how to work and cooperate with others to obtain a mutual objective was an important principle he learned.
When he initiated into the chapter, he started breaking the record books, a trait he has continued in his professional career. During Justice Martin’s first semester as an initiated member, the chapter elected him Sergeant-at-Arms and then president. At the time, he had been the youngest member to be elected president.
Upon graduating Summa Cum Laude from WCU, he received his J.D. degree, with honors, at the University of North Carolina School of Law. He also earned a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in Judicial Process from the University of Virginia. Upon graduating from law school, Justice Martin completed a federal clerkship and practiced law at the McNair Law Firm in Raleigh, NC. From 1991 to 1992, he served as Legal Counsel to the Governor of North Carolina. In December 1992, Justice Martin was appointed as Resident Superior Court Judge in Judicial District 3-A, Pitt County, North Carolina. During his tenure as superior court judge, he held court in 28 North Carolina counties. He served as a Judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals from 1994 to 1999, participating in over 1000 appellate decisions. Since 1999, Justice Martin has served as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of North Carolina and has participated in over 600 appellate decisions on that Court. He was the youngest justice in the history of North Carolina at the time he was installed as an Associate Judge on the North Carolina State Supreme Court. Currently, he is the second most senior Justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court, a position of institutional seniority known as the “Senior Associate Justice.”
In addition to his judgeship responsibilities, Justice Martin serves on the adjunct faculties at Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina Central University.
Thinking about who has been most influential in his life, he recalls several mentors and colleagues. These mentors/colleagues instilled the importance of serving the people into his value system. In addition to his professional career, Justice Martin emphasized that his wife, Kim, and five children (Lauren, Anna, Sarah, Nathaniel, and Susanna) are most important in his life.
When recalling his most fond Delta Sig memory, he recalls being a pledge, then a brother, and working with other chapter brothers on common pursuits.
The advice he has for Delta Sig undergraduates is “try to live a balanced life; making good grades will keep options open for you, but also develop yourself in other areas.”
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