Professor emeritus and author Herbert Woodward Martin, a nationally recognized scholar and performer of the work of Dayton poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, died Monday, July 20, 2026.
He was 92.
“Herb Martin was the preeminent poet of Dayton, an inspiration to everyone,” said poet David Lee Garrison, host of Conrad’s Corner on WYSO, which featured regular appearances by Martin. “His Paul Laurence Dunbar presentations reincarnated Dunbar, and his poetry made us feel the pain and the joy of being fully alive.”
WATCH: Herbert Woodward Martin performs at TEDxDayton
His daughter, Julia Mauk, said studying and performing Dunbar brought to life and drew attention to the work of a monumental creator.
“It inspired him to see what Dunbar had overcome and the work that he had done, and see how some of those challenges are still mirrored as he was coming up a hundred years later, and even recently in the 2000s, those similar challenges of race and societal dynamics,” Mauk said.
Martin was born on Oct. 4, 1933, in Birmingham, Alabama. He and his family moved to Toledo when he was 12.
“My dad talked about when he moved to Toledo and riding a public bus and getting on with a family member, and the family member said, ‘You don't have to go to the back. You can sit up front,’" Mauk said. "And even when he said it to me, I was like — wait, it doesn't feel like, I think for a lot of people, that that was as recent as it was.”
Martin, a professor of English and poet-in-residence at the University of Dayton, taught classes on poetry and African American literature, culture and history. He edited several collections of Dunbar’s work, as well as authoring a number of collections of his own poetry. He was named professor emeritus when he retired after 30 years at the university.
“While none of us have ever met or heard Paul Laurence Dunbar, if you had the good fortune of being in the presence of Herbert Martin when he was ‘borrowing his voice,’ do believe that you were connected over the years to the spirit of that artistic genius,” University of Dayton President Eric F. Spina said. “He is among UD’s greatest treasures, and while he will be missed dearly, his legacy as a scholar and a person is secure.”
In addition to his poetry, Martin was also an actor, singer, playwright and librettist. He wrote the libretto “Pity These Ashes,” commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, and the libretto for “A Knee on the Neck,” to memorialize George Floyd, which was performed at The Lincoln Center in New York in June of 2023.
“George Floyd's family was there,” Mauk said. “He had a way of portraying it that could share both the deep emotion of something that was really harmful to a lot of people, but make it honorable and beautiful.”
Those who had the privilege of corresponding with Martin would know to look for his signature closing: a handshake and a thought.
“A strong line that calls to mind his character, his persona, who he was, that limitless capacity for support,” said local poet Matt Birdsall. “He always closed an email with a handshake and a thought.”
“With a handshake and a thought…”
“A handshake of skin and good will…”
“Tipping the hat; extending the arms of fellowship, and as always, a handshake…”
Martin is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Sue (Altman) Martin; his daughters, Julia Mauk and Sarah Altman-Martin; his grandchildren, Marina, Christian, Athena, Anessa, Henry and Eliza; and his great-grandson, RJ Moore.
He is preceded in death by his parents, David and Willie May Martin.
A visitation is planned at Thomas Funeral Home from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, July 30, followed by an 11 a.m. funeral service on Friday, July 31 at Holy Angels Catholic Church in Dayton.
