Dr. John Franklin Martin attended Mexico City College (now University of the Americas) and developed an interest anthropology.  After working in banking in San Francisco, he returned to Wisconsin, working for the city of Beloit as a sewer cleaner and operating a front-end-loader repairing roads.  A recruiter for Wabash College, Indiana, induced him to enroll, but his persistent interest in anthropology led him to transfer to Beloit College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1960.  His experience in Mexico led to a multi-year research assistantship in archaeology in central and southern Mexico.  He went on to earn a Ph.D. in social anthropology at the University of Chicago in 1966.

John’s academic career began in 1965 as a lecturer at the University of California, Riverside, and the following year he accepted a faculty position at Arizona State University, where he taught for 42 years. His research appeared in leading scholarly journals, such as the American Anthropologist, Current Anthropology, Ethnology, The Lancet, and Human Reproduction.

John played an important role in developing social anthropology at ASU, starting as an early hire in the former Dept. of Anthropology.  He received the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Alumni Association award for outstanding teaching.  Research publications centered on demographic factors affecting sex ratios and social organization, and the biosocial pathways to insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes among Native Americans and other peoples impacted by colonization.

John enjoyed hiking, fishing, and camping with his family, especially in the White Mountains of Arizona and along the coast of central and northern California. He had a profound regard for the landscapes of the western U.S. and respect for their Indigenous Peoples.  He deeply appreciated classical music, opera, and jazz.  

John is preceded in death by his mother, Alfrieda Linda (Petoskey) Martin, father, John Franklin Martin, a sister and her husband and a nephew.  

He Is survived by his loving wife of 40 years, Teresa McCarty; a sister; a daughter; a son; ; two grandchildren; three nieces and a nephew; former spouse Susan (Israel) Peskind; and many loving in-laws.