Mertin Betts, 1943-2015
The Department of Chemistry regrets to announce the passing of our dear colleague, Mr. Mertin Betts, on October 18, 2015.
When Marty joined Chemistry in 2004, he had already enjoyed a successful professional career, and his interest in the laboratory supervisor position was motivated by his enthusiasm for chemistry and education. The members of the Department who interviewed Marty were immediately impressed by his friendly manner, a quality that made him a favorite with his work-study students, most of whom returned to work for him year after year until they graduated.
Marty’s dedication to the Department and his students was remarkable and thorough: he kept his labs organized and running smoothly, which was no small accomplishment given the hundreds of students who passed through them each semester. Faculty members and teaching fellows relied upon him to ensure that everything worked, and it did. Moreover, Marty took the safety of the students in his labs to heart, and he would remind them in a friendly but firm manner of the need to work safely and with the right equipment. He didn’t hesitate to remind staff and faculty either…and some of us occasionally needed that reminder.
What made Marty such an important part of Chemistry, however, was not just his professional competence and his passion for education, but his openness to his colleagues. He was funny, warm, a family man, and a gentleman. For eleven years, he was an important and beloved part of Chemistry, a man who, whether they realized it or not, contributed to the futures of thousands of students, and enriched the lives of all those fortunate enough to work with him.
We miss him.
To Marty’s family and his friends outside of Chemistry: thank you for sharing Marty with us. We share your grief, but also rejoice that we had the good fortune to know him. He was an educator, a colleague, and a friend, and he certainly made the Department a better place by being a part of it.