Martin, Helen M. (Helen Mandeville), 1889-1973

Helen Mandeville Martin (1889-1973) devoted her life to the conservation of Michigan's natural resources. A native of South Dakota, she attended the University of Michigan, intending to be a writer, but changed curriculums and earned an A.B. degree in chemistry and geology. From 1908-1916, she taught high school geology and physiography in Battle Creek, Michigan. She earned her master's degree in geology and chemistry from the University of Michigan in 1917. Her career as a geologist and editor for the Michigan Geological Survey began in 1917. She worked at various jobs over the years. She played a critical role in the conservation education and wrote of the emergence of female educators in the 1930s. She retired in 1958, but continued her work. Helen Martin died on April 28, 1973. She was inducted in the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1988.

Helen Mandeville Martin was born in North Dakota in 1889. She attended the University of Michigan where she earned her bachelor's degree (1908) and her master's degree in geology (1917). During the period between her two degrees, she taught physiography and geology at the University of Michigan. She left Ann Arbor in 1917 and began a forty year career as a geologist. Except for the years 1923-34, when she worked as a geologist, research editor, and consultant for oil companies, she spent most of her career with the Michigan Geological Survey, the state agency responsible for geological research and education. She retired from there in 1958. Martin authored many articles, reports, maps and biographies of Michigan state geologists. She was renowned as a geological editor and lecturer and was active in many professional organizations. She received awards from the U.S. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare, the Public Health Service, the U.S. Forestry Service, and the American Forestry Association. In 1983, ten years after her death, she was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.