James A. Martin: A Man of Grand Strengths, Delightful Foibles

Jim Martin was my student, my colleague, and my close friend. His was a mind of independent ideas and uncommon sharpness. He was a scholar of national reputation, not just in one subject, but in three. Books that he authored or co-authored in Conflict of Laws, Civil Procedure, and Commercial Law are used in courses from coast to coast.

He was a principal draftsman of a new statute, the Uniform Personal Property Leasing Act, that will soon be proposed for adoption in every state of the United States. He was a drafter of and a commentator on the Michigan Court Rules. These are remarkable accomplishments for a man of 41 years. In his books, in the Court Rules, and particularly in the new statute, his memory will live with us.

Neither I nor anyone else needs to speak for them; they speak for themselves. In the space given to me, I wish to honor a part of Jim's memory in a form not preserved by his books and scholarly work. I fear that the rigor and careful logic with which Jim wrote and spoke portrayed him as a man of keen but unidimensional intelligence. In fact, Jim Martin was many persons.

To think him merely a keen and logical thinker would be wrong.