William Thomas "Bill" Martin, Ph.D., professor emeritus at Lander University, died Wednesday, September 6, 2017 in Greenwood, SC. He was 74 years old.

Dr. Martin was born April 5, 1943 in San Bernardino, CA to Colonel and Mrs. Robert E. Martin. He graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA in 1966 with a bachelor's degree in applied psychology and from Emory University in Atlanta, GA with a master's and doctorate in clinical psychology.

In 1973, Dr. Martin began teaching at Lander University as an assistant professor of Psychology. While there, he designed a psychology curriculum that emphasized both research methods and applied counseling knowledge, and his influences are still seen in the psychology program today. He developed a half dozen new courses and internship experiences for students and was responsible for bringing a chapter of Psi Chi, the national psychology honor society, to Lander in 1986, where he also served as advisor. In 2001 Dr. Martin was named chair of the Division of Behavioral Sciences and the Division of History and Political Science. During his tenure, he encouraged his students to achieve their highest potential and enjoyed mentoring colleagues and friends. Before retiring, he established the William T. Martin Psychology Scholarship to provide financial support to promising juniors and seniors.

Dr. Martin dearly loved his children and was an adored father, grandfather, brother and friend. He was a lifelong, but long suffering, Georgia Tech football fan, and he took immense pride in his garden. Dr. Martin also enjoyed fishing, especially in the Florida Gulf for speckled trout with his brother and father. He believed that everyone should have at least one cat and learn how to change a flat tire in the dark. He was an avid reader, wonderful storyteller, and published author.

Dr. Martin is survived by his children, Mrs. Lisa M. Burk of Baton Rouge, LA; Mr. Jason W. Martin of Greenville, SC; Mrs. Stephanie M. Neal of Baltimore, MD; and Mr. Nicholas A. Martin of Greenville, SC; seven grandchildren, and siblings, Mrs. Suzanne Brown of Annapolis, MD and Mr. Stephen Martin of Athens, GA. He is preceded in death by his father, Robert E. Martin and mother Martha G. Martin, both of Fort Valley, GA.

No plans for a memorial service have been announced.

In lieu of flowers, the Martin family requests that family and friends honor the lifetime achievements of Dr. Martin with a gift to the William T. Martin Psychology Scholarship. Checks to the fund should be made payable to The Lander Foundation c/o the William T. Martin Psychology Scholarship and mailed to 320 Stanley Avenue, Campus Box 6004, Greenwood, SC 29649. Also, gifts can be made online at go.lander.edu/scholarship.