Martha Ann was well educated and had a fistful of school medals in her jewelry box. Throughout her years in school, she got mostly A's and B's. She graduated with the J.W. Sexton High School class of 1943. The Department of Mathematics at Michigan State College awarded her an alumni scholarship (64 were awarded total) saving Martha a whopping $120.00 for three terms. German, Chemestry, English, Physics and Math were her good subjects - the excellent student achieved a D in Business Administration. She had the equivalent of five degrees from the school and later in life obtained a teaching certificate from Wayne State University. Martha Ann also was a member of the Sigma Kappa Sorority, Alpha Tau chapter and the Tower Guard.
After graduating from college in 1947 with a BS in Chemistry, Martha Ann worked for Parke Davis Pharmaceuticals in Detroit, Michigan and resided at the Evangeline, an apartment building for young women. She was assistant to one of the department heads at Parke Davis and teased her children with tales of his collection of oddities found in foods (such as nails in bottles of Coca Cola). She would not serve Jello, saying she had seen a plant where the food was packaged and knew what went into it.
Martha wrote up her job description at Parke Davis:
"My work in the Central Records Office comprises naming, classifying, and cataloguing compounds submitted for pharmacological evaluation in certain testing programs. These may be drugs synthesized by members of the Research staff or by university groups working with Parke, Davis, or may be compounds sent to Parke, Davis for evaluation by other chemical concerns. The results of the testing of these drugs are reported back to me on Central Records Office data sheets. I record these results in the Central Records Office and report them to the senior members of the staff at monthly intervals. Reports are also sent by our office to the suppliers of compounds outside of Parke, Davis.
The cataloguing process permits me to make surveys of the drugs which are or have been under study. I make these surveys to find compounds to follow up "leads" in the testing programs, to prepare lists of drugs and their activities for consideration of patent coverage, and to find samples of compounds which are of interest in university research problems.
I maintain a file of samples of compounds which are available for research purposes. The maintenance of this file involves weighing and recording the amount of each compound available and storing the sample itself to make it readily accessible.
Each week I review the Official Patent Gazette and order the patents which are of interest to the research and manufacturing personnel. I abstract, classify, and file each of these patents. These patent abstracts are circulated to the research staff and to certain of the manufacturing personnel. Circulation of the patents is ten made possible to interested persons. I also make patent searches to provide background for a research problem or background for patent coverage. This is made possible by the now complete patent classification system."
In 1950, Martha won a writing contest through the Detroit Times. She never cashed her award - a check for $1.00. Before her marriage, she visited Haiti with friends, bringing home a number of items made of Haitian mahogany. A lazy susan, a set salad bowl set, and several pieces of furniture from that trip are in the possession of her daughter Ann. After leaving Haiti, Martha went to New Orleans, meeting John Tracy en route.
Her Wedding Announcement
The new Mrs. John A. Tracy (Martha Ann Driver) donned a brown and rust three-piece suit for honeymoon travel through the Smokey Mountains Saturday after her marriage in Plymouth Congregational Church.
The bride spoke her nuptial vows on the date that would have been the 33rd wedding anniversary of her parents, Mrs. Charles Wesley Driver, 1205 W. Hillsdale st., and the late Mr. Driver. She was graduated from Michigan State college in 1947 and affiliated with Sigma Kappa sorority.
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Tracy of Detroit are parents of the bridegroom, a graduate of the University of Toledo. His fraternity is Alpha Gamma Upsilon.
Dr. John W. Claxton officiated at the ceremony.
Given in marriage by her brother, Charles A. Driver, the bride chose a princess-styled ballerina gown of white satin designed with a scallop-edged bodice and long tapered sleeves. A scalloped satin cap caught her double tiered shoulder length veil of white tulle. The bridal bouquet was a cascade of white carnations and ivy.
The bride's sisters attended her in ballerina gowns of royal blue taffeta. In their hair they wore bronze caps and carried matching sprays of bronze chrysanthemums. Miss Charlotte Driver was maid of honor. Mrs. Walter F. Van Dien served as bridesmaid.
Robert Tracy of Detroit was his brother's best man. Usher was Harry Hoffman of Detroit.
The newlyweds greeted guests in the church parlors after the ceremony. Assisting were Miss Martha Tuck, Miss Valerie Tracy, Miss Ruth Portman, Miss Margaret Hemens, Mrs. Robert Tracy, Mrs. Harry Hoffman, Mrs. Gary Hoyer, and Miss Lenore Schroeder.
Mrs. Driver pinned an orchid corsage to her plum taffeta gown for her daughter's wedding and reception. She chose a matching hat and black accessories. A mauve lace gown was the choice of Mrs. Tracy who also had an orchid. Her accessories were black.
After Nov. 1, the newlyweds will be at home at 13030 Chandler Park dr., Detroit.
After having children, Martha Ann became deeply involved with the Republican Party in Macomb County, Michigan. She frequently worked in the headquarters on Harper Avenue in St. Clair Shores, and knew a number of people who became prominent in Washington, D.C. In 1963 she was elected vice chairman in charge of organization of the Macomb Republican Party, succeeding her good friend, Barbara Hoffman. Martha Ann was official statistician for 1963 and assisted with organization during the 1962 presidential campaign. She always remembered fondly her political work and people like Governor George Romney (who gave her a large crystal elephant), David Wells, and Bill McLaughlin. Her activities extended to being secretary of the Citizens Advisory Committee in St. Clair Shores. Martha took a job with the Gallop Poll as an interviewer for a time in the early 1960's. Later, Martha worked for the 1970 governmental census.
Martha was an avid gardener, enjoyed crossword puzzles (and did the hard ones in ink without recourse to a dictionary) and was an accomplished crewel embroiderer. She passed on her love of reading to her children.
In her early 40's Martha had a radical mastectomy for breast cancer. Radiation treatments left an unhealed area in her chest which was troublesome. Her death was from an interwoven series of problems: the unhealed area in her chest was prone to infection and may have allowed infection to go to her heart. The blood pressure between her heart and lungs increased until her mitral valve deteriorated and finally failed. An operation to replace the valve was successful, but a yeast infection in her chest could not be treated. She was in Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI for over a month before her death.
Her funeral was held at the gravesite with a family party held afterwards at Martha's sister's house in Okemos. The date of the funeral was delayed a few days so the employees of Cooperative Services could be notified. Many of them attended, which would have pleased Martha; she considered them her second family.
