About

At the time of the founding of the Martin Family Fellowship in 1997, Mrs. Geri Martin, as then president of the Martin Foundation, made this comment: “The thought of MIT committing a portion of its mental might to solving some of earth’s environmental problems inspired this gift. My husband and I hope our commitment will encourage others to support MIT as it seeks to establish important connections between people and disciplines, both nationally and internationally.”

Mr. Martin was chairman of NIBCO Inc. of Elkhart, Ind., a leading manufacturer of pipe fittings, valves and plumbing fixtures, primarily for water distribution in buildings. He joined NIBCO in 1943. The company was founded in 1904 by Mr. Martin’s grandfather. The president and chief executive officer of NIBCO is Rex Martin, son of Lee and Geraldine, who received the SM from MIT’s Sloan School of Management in 1983. Another Martin son, Casper, received the SM from the Sloan School in 1985. Lee and Geraldine Martin’s daughter Elizabeth is the current president of the foundation, which also funded the establishment of the Martin Center for Engineering Design in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

The Martin Fellows program is managed by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative.