Description
Sound recording digitized from an audiocassette of an interview with Sherman A. Martin by Hugh L. Gordon. Martin is a former executive with Lockheed Martin, working at both the Burbank and Marietta locations during his forty-nine year tenure with the company. He discusses beginning at the Burbank plant on P-38, Constellation, and Constitution aircraft and the integration of women into the workforce during World War II, including female celebrities. Martin also describes an incident at a local bar with a German American who expressed support for the Nazi government. He moved to Marietta and describes the workers' attitudes towards women and African Americans entering the workforce, including some racist incidents in the plant and the community. Martin relates the company's efforts to recruit at local Historic Black Colleges and Universities, as well as the first salaried African American men and the first African American women to work at the Marietta location. His wife includes a story of riding the bus in Atlanta with her son and having to explain why a black woman does not take an open seat.; Sherman A. Martin was born on April 4, 1917, outside of Wolf Point, Montana. After graduating from high school, he attended the Lincoln Airplane and Flying School in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he learned the basics of building, maintaining, and flying aircraft. Martin went to California to find work and was hired by Lockheed in Burbank, California, on July 6, 1937, to train as a riveter. He was married on August 12, 1939, to his wife, Mary. During World War II, Martin taught night courses in engineering science at UCLA as part of the Management War Training program. With the purchase of the former Bell Aircraft Corporation facilities by Lockheed, Martin transferred with his family to Marietta, Georgia, in 1951. At that time, he was the manager of the planning department. Martin retired from Lockheed in 1986. He died on January 7, 2014.
Citation
Interview with Sherman A. Martin, 2002-08-12, Hugh L. Gordon Papers, 1951-2009, Gordon, Kruse, Wentzel Collection, 1951-2010, SC/G/002, Kennesaw State University Archives
Rights
The digital reproductions on this site are provided for research consultation and scholarly purposes only. The Archives has made every effort to describe what is known about copyright, rights of privacy and confidentiality, publicity, or trademark in its holdings. The copyright status for this item has been deemed unknown. The Archives may not grant permission to publish, reproduce, publicly display, broadcast, or distribute this material outside the boundaries of fair use.
Identifier
scg002-04-030102-10-mar
