Lucretia "Lu" Martin's history at the College spans four decades. During that time, she has been a special assistant to three College presidents, a witness to the effects of co-education, and coordinator of capital campaigns and alumni donations that have raised hundreds of millions of dollars.
She has also made many friends along the way.
Martin, newly appointed director of development, has worked on capital campaigns since 1977, traveling extensively to solicit alumni contributions and coordinating fundraising for campus buildings, faculty professorships and student scholarships.
In her office on the second floor of Blunt Alumni Center, Martin gave a glimpse of how much she values the human contacts she has made in her years at the College.
"This is what I'm most proud of," she said, pointing to an old-fashioned collage of painted flowers on the wall, spelling her name, "Martin."
A few years ago, studio art professor Varujan Boghosian bought the picture at an old estate in Fairlee, Vermont, framed it and gave it to Martin as a gift.
"Can you believe that?" she asked, her bright blue eyes wide. "It was made with pieces of old valentine cards. And look here..." She put on her eyeglasses to inspect a faint old message on the corner of the paper. "'I shield your friendship.' Isn't that wonderful?"
Martin, who grew up in Washington, D.C., first arrived in Hanover in 1954 with her former husband, Richard Sterling, then a government professor at the College.
"When I came to Hanover, the Hopkins Center and the Hood Museum weren't built. I was a faculty wife and I had never lived in a small town," Martin said.
"I think I did love Dartmouth the day I first saw it, but I didn't think about it. I was focused on raising a family and living in the town. I got more interested in the College later," she said.
After being involved in community organizations and holding some part time research jobs at the College, Martin was hired as part of John Kemeny's administrative team when he became College president in 1970.
Martin keeps a framed portrait of Kemeny, who passed away last year, on her desk amidst snapshots of her family.
"John Kemeny was a remarkable man and a remarkable president. He gave me an opportunity to learn and know Dartmouth, and I'm grateful for that."
On board during Kemeny's administration, Martin saw first-hand the dramatic changes affecting the campus brought on by co-education, establishment of the Dartmouth Plan and advances in computer technology.
As the first woman hired in the Dartmouth administration outside of the library system and support staff, the changes associated with co-education were of particular personal importance to Martin.
"When I arrived in Hanover in 1954, women were not allowed to attend or audit classes, or work at the College. It was hard to be a woman at Dartmouth," Martin said.
"I don't find that now, though. I think it's changed so much, and it's been very exciting. I'm probably one of the few people who's gotten to watch this growth," she said.
Hired as special assistant to the president in 1970, Martin has held that position ever since, through the administrations of Kemeny, David McLaughlin and James Freedman.
"I've had a role that's been a lot of fun for me," Martin said. "Originally I ran President Kemeny's office. I had nothing at all to do with development."
Martin's journey from administrative offices in Parkhurst Hall, down North Main Street to the Blunt Alumni Center was completed in 1977, when she became the College's first director of major gifts for the "Campaign for Dartmouth," which raised $204 million in five years.
Martin said that her first reaction when asked to coordinate the capital campaign was one of disbelief, since she had never worked in development or fund-raising before. But, she said, she was willing to learn.
"I've been lucky because in every job I've had at the College I've learned so much - there's been a high learning curve for me," Martin said.
She was promoted to director of capital giving in 1982, and then to director of principal gifts in 1989. Currently she is also helping Vice President of Development and Alumni Affairs Stan Colla with the College's Will to Excel capital campaign.
Martin's responsibility as director of principal gifts has been to identify and solicit individuals who have the capability to give gifts of more than $1 million to the College.
This component of her job has allowed Martin to travel and meet with potential donors, which she says she enjoys immensely.
"It's such a great experience to go out and talk to alumni. They really love this College," Martin said. "They're eager to learn and hear the news. I always get excited again about Dartmouth when I'm on the road traveling for Dartmouth."
Martin is also the development liaison for the Thayer School of Engineering, the Hopkins Center and the Hood Museum.
She has previously served as chairman of the task force that raised $28.6 million to build Burke Hall, a new chemistry building dedicated in September 1992.
"I had the privilege - and it was a privilege - of running the funding for Burke," Martin said. "It was a thrilling experience for me knowing that when we opened it, it was fully funded. That's so unusual for a science building."
While Martin sees the visible rewards of fundraising for a new campus building, she says she also sees rewards for her efforts in less concrete ways.
"The main business of Dartmouth is to educate students. We're here to serve that," Martin said.
"I see rewards when I talk to scholarship students," Martin said. "My student friends are a good way for me to keep up on what's happening here."
Martin, whose son is a member of the Class of 1983, is an adopted member of the Class of 1951.
Her husband Peter Martin, who coincidentally is a graduate of the Class of 1951, is director of the American Universities Field Staff Inc. of Hanover, an organization that sends American students to foreign universities.
The two met in Hanover, and live in Orford, N.H. Together, they have six children and nine grandchildren.
