Edley "Wain" Wainright Martin

Edley Wainright “Wain” Martin, Jr., age 91, of Bloomington, passed away on Thursday (10/18) at Bell Trace Health and Living Center. Born April 29, 1927 in Texarkana, Texas, he was the son of Edley Wainright Martin, Sr. and Catherine (Smith) Martin.

Wain served in the U.S. Navy while at Georgia Tech where he received an electrical engineering degree. He was also a distinguished alumnus of Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. Wain went on to receive both an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Ohio State University. It was at Ohio State where he met his wife Charlene (Studor), and they were married in 1950.

Wain was an early leader in the field of business computing, which would later become Management Information Systems (or MIS). While working for IBM in the 1950s, he was part of the team that established Indiana University’s first computer data center. He was hired by the School of Business of Indiana University as an Associate Professor in 1956 and became a full Professor of Business Administration in 1961.

While at Indiana University, Wain authored several important books and textbooks on business computing. These included Electronic Data Processing: An Introduction (1961), Mathematics for Decision Making (1969), Computers and Information Systems: An Introduction (1973), FORTRAN for Business Students (1981), and Managing Information Technology: What the Manager Needs to Know (1991).

After retiring from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 1991, he helped found New Leaf - New Life in 2005 and led the organization as a volunteer for a number of years. This included the popular Jail Bingo program he established inside the Monroe County Correctional Center. Through New Leaf, Wain was deeply involved in transformative justice in the local Bloomington community, helping many citizens break the cycle of repeated imprisonment. His favorite saying was “never tire of doing good.” This was more than a slogan for Wain as it reflected his view on the importance of service. He won multiple community service awards for his volunteer work including a Be More Award from the City of Bloomington, the Lifetime Achievement Award from New Leaf – New Life, and the Mary Alice Gray Memorial Award from United Way.

Wain was a deeply involved, long-time member of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church as well as the Bloomington Rotary Club. He was a world traveler, an avid contract bridge player, a passionate sports fan (especially for IU basketball), and was always eager to spend time with family. He pursued a passion for researching and writing his own family history as well as writing memoirs for many of his friends.

He is survived by his loving family; a son, Robert Martin of Bloomington; three daughters, Linda Mongold and Nancy Martin, both of Bloomington, and Anne Martin-Ko and husband Chat Hay Ko of Ukiah, California; three grandchildren, Jonathan Mongold and wife Christina of Lafayette, Paul Mongold and partner Nathan Diehl of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Chim Chune Ko of Belmont, California; one great-grandson, Charlie; nieces and nephews including David Meyer and wife Cynthia Neidhart of Bloomington. Wain was predeceased by his parents, his wife, a sister, Mary Jane Fleener, and son-in-law, Greg Mongold.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, November 4th at 4:00 p.m. at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church with visitation beginning at 3:00 p.m. A gathering of family and friends will follow the service.

Contributions in Wain’s memory may be given to New Leaf – New Life at P.O. Box 3453, Bloomington, IN 47402 or to St. Mark’s United Methodist Church at 100 N. State Road 46, Bloomington, IN 47408. Online condolences may be given at www.DayDeremiahFrye.com