The Harold ‘Doc Martin’ NU 1920 Scholarship Committee proudly announces the
2025 Harold ‘Doc’ Martin Scholarship Benefit Dinner
to be held Thursday, February 13, 2025 - 6 p.m.
See more photos from the benefit dinner from the National Press Club.
Established in 2021 and named in honor of Norwich University’s first Black graduate and Tuskegee Airman, Harold ‘Doc’ Martin NU 1920, the scholarship is awarded to talented students with financial need.
Please join us and help grow the scholarship at the Harold 'Doc' Martin 2025 Scholarship Benefit Dinner. This event will be held at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. on February 13, 2025. Special Guest Speaker, The Honorable Ronald S. Moultrie, Former Under Secretary of Defense Intelligence & Security.
The Harold ‘Doc’ Martin NU 1920 Scholarship Committee:
Mark Denton '97 | Anthony Johnson ’94 | Lowell Price ’93 | Tonya Thorne ’94 |
Daniel Triplett '14 | LTC (Ret) Tomy Wright ’75 | Willie Wright ’93
Register now for the Harold 'Doc' Martin Scholarship dinner
Harold Douglas ‘Doc’ Martin entered Norwich University as a cadet in 1916, the first African-American to do so. While at Norwich, Martin studied electrical engineering and was heavily involved in student life. He was the star of the varsity football team in addition to playing baseball and hockey. He was also in Mandolin Club, Glee Club, and a member of the War Whoop staff. He was truly a well-rounded student and exemplified our motto — "I Will Try."
After graduating from Norwich in 1920, he was offered a job at Westinghouse Electric. However, the company withdrew the offer when it found out that he was African-American. Martin managed to find another job at a smaller electric company in Pittsburgh. During his time in that city, he pitched for two Negro League baseball teams. Martin went on to have a successful career in college athletics, coaching and administering thriving athletic programs. He also earned a master’s degree in physical education from New York University.
During World War II, Martin was stationed at Tuskegee Army Airfield, where all African-American Army Air Force pilots were trained. He eventually became the Director of the Ground School at Tuskegee and was promoted to the rank of Major. The Tuskegee Airmen flew more than 15,000 sorties during World War II. Their impressive performance earned them more than 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses and helped encourage the eventual integration of the U.S. armed forces. Martin died in an accident during a routine flight in 1945 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
He is memorialized in the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. In 1984, he was inducted into the Norwich Athletics Hall of Fame. He is also the namesake of the Harold ‘Doc’ Martin Society, a multicultural student group that promotes a community of acceptance, inclusiveness, and diversity on campus.
Gifts to the Harold ‘Doc’ Martin Scholarship will increase financial aid and give Norwich the flexibility to address student needs as they arise over the coming months.