Vol 77 issue 5 november 2 2015

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volume #77, issue 5

monday, November 2, 2015

TEDxBay City Page 2

INFORMERS CORNER

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Everest Page 5

Guest VIEW Page 7

counter culture returns to saginaw View the extended gallery online at deltacollegiate.com

Josephine Norris

Retired Texas Ranger proves age is no barrier for education by gabrielle martin news editor

At the age of 66 most people have retired - relaxing at home, spoiling their grandchildren and joining fellow retirees for card night - but Dennis Martin, a student at Delta College, is not most people. “I love to learn. I get to work with extremely brilliant young people,” says the 66-year-old Freeland resident. “I look forward to coming here and the only thing that makes me feel good is when I can come to Delta.” Martin graduated from Delta’s police academy in 1976, worked in law enforcement and is now back at the college. Since 2009, he has been taking classes every semester. “I heard people calling him the Delta Dennis because he’s been here so long,” says Aaron Eichler, one of Martin’s close friends. Eichler is

DCgabriellem working on finishing up his Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers transfer agreement (MACRAO) at Delta and met Martin in a statistics class about a year ago. “He asked me to be his personal tutor for statistics and I became his note taker… so I have a tendency to watch out for him while he’s at school. His wife asked me to,” Eichler says. There has only been one semester since 2009 in which Martin didn’t take classes at Delta; in 2014 he went to visit his daughter in Australia for four months. Even then, he stayed in school; however, he was the teacher rather than the student. He was able to teach a criminal justice class at MacQuerie University in Sydney. In 2013, Martin graduated Summa Cum Laude with his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Ferris State University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in crim-

Surgery begins as students and staff test their knowledge on procedure and protocol. (Delta Collegiate/Josephine Norris)

inal justice from Central Michigan University. While he is set to graduate in December, he has no intention to stop there. Martin is hoping to go on to Michigan State University and pursue his PhD in criminal justice with an emphasis on forensics. “It’s kind of been on my bucket list,” he says. Martin has already been selected as one of the 50 applicants to be interviewed for the 14 available spots in the program. He had his interview on Oct. 21 and is waiting to hear back. “I’m not sure I’d even be able to finish it due to my health,” he says. Around four years ago, Martin was diagnosed with the early onset of Alzheimer’s. Traditional of the lifestyle Martin has always lead, he did not simply accept the diagnosis. “They were lying. I still feel that way,” he says. That fighting mentality continued this past summer. “In July, I had three heart attacks; in August, I had a stroke.” Despite all that, Martin stayed in touch with his teachers, did his class work in the hospital and never fell behind. He currently has a 3.96 at CMU. “Nothing’s fun if it’s not challenging,” he explains.

thought that was really special.” In 1970, he started working What is your favorite for the Saginaw County Sheriff’s thing about yourself? Department as a corrections officer; Reagan verhaeghe at that time, there was no such thing 19, Essexville as a police academy. “We would be assigned with like a training officer “My passion and we’d ride with that officer for a for my work. certain length of time and we’d be I work with trained on how to use a firearm [and] animals at an how to properly fill out an accident animal report or a citation.” hospital.” Not too long after that, legislation was passed in Michigan that alston jones said new law enforcement officials 18, midland must go through a police academy for training; however, those who were al“I like to think ready in law enforcement were grand- it’s the way that fathered in. Although Martin was not I empathize with required to go to do further training, people and talk to them and get to he did decide to attend Delta’s police know how they’re academy in January of 1976. feeling.” “I put myself through the police academy and I worked full-time at the amber gaiser same time,” he says. “I graduated in 19, Saginaw 1976 and I think I was third in my class.” “My music For the next year, Martin conchoices, my tinued to work as a corrections officer variety of music for Saginaw County Sheriff’s Departchoice. It’s a ment; he then moved into doing road good way to patrol. express how you In 1977, Martin started the feel some days.” American Association of Corrections Officers (AACO), which later logan baase Pioneer policeman became the International Association 19, saginaw of Corrections Officers (IACO). This Martin knew he wanted to be a association evolved out of a Michigan “My eyes. police officer since the age of seven. organization. Girls say “I had a neighbor that was on the Sheriff’s department… he used to they’re stop over to my home and park the Continued on beautiful.” patrol car in the driveway and stand Page 4 there in uniform and talk to me. I


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