Martin Luther Black Jr.

Of Ann Arbor, Michigan

Died on April 23, 2011 at University Hospital after a long illness. He was born May 5, 1921, in Knoxville, Tennessee, the son of Dr. Martin Luther Black, Sr., of Medford, Tennessee, and Roxie Belle Bayless Black of Knoxville. He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Myra Anne Black Overcash, and his first wife of 24 years, Cornelia May Perry.

After graduation from Knoxville High School, Martin earned a B.S. (1944) and Ph.D. (1949) both in chemistry, from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He also studied at the Detroit College of Law and at the University of Michigan.

Martin joined Parke, Davis & Co. as a research chemist in Detroit in 1944, and continued in various capacities through, and after the firm’s acquisition by Warner-Lambert & Co. in 1977. At the time of his retirement, he was the longest-tenured member of the Parke-Davis research staff.

In 1944, Martin became a member of the research team engaged in the search for drugs effective in the prevention or treatment of malaria, which was a major obstacle to operations in the Pacific theater during World War II. The most original, productive and satisfying research for him in later years were those based on mathematical models devised by him for several important biochemical processes. Martin retired from Parke-Davis in 1986 after 41 years of service. By that time, he was the author of numerous publications in journals within his field and was a member of several scientific bodies, before whose gatherings he was sometimes an invited speaker, including the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Martin also had an insatiable love of music, especially classic jazz. His interest began in the 1930s in the foothills of the Great Smokies where he played string bass with Harold Underwood’s Commanders, the Louis Chesney Orchestra, the Bob Lavin Orchestra, the Coy Tucker Sextet, and the Swingsters at radio station WNOX. Years later in the 1960s his musical activity included improvisational gigs in the dark catacombs of Ann Arbor’s Del Rio Bar.

Martin married Cornelia May Perry of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania in 1944, and had two sons. After Cornelia’s death in 1968, Martin married Mary Caroline Greene Exelby of Northville, Michigan in 1973. They shared a love for science, music, and travel. She and Martin traveled together to many countries in Africa, Europe, Asia, and South America.

Martin is survived by his older son, Evan Garth Black, married to Jane Carol Kreski of Iron River, Michigan, and grandsons, David and Tyler. He is also survived by his younger son, Alex Mark Black, married to Rita Anne Desmond of Swords, County Dublin, Ireland, and granddaughter, Laura. Also surviving him are his stepsons and their families: Curtis LaVerne Exelby and Louise Arlene Hayward, their children, Neil and Jessica, Kyle Greene Exelby and Andrea Lee Sanderson, and their children, Kendal, Austin, and Palmer, as well as nephews Wendell Overcash, his wife JoAnne and daughters Holly and Erin, of Goshen, Kentucky and Whitney Overcash of Louisville, Kentucky.

Memorial visitation will be at the Muehlig Mortuary Chapel, Ann Arbor, 6 to 8 p. m. on Friday, May 13. A memorial service will be held at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church on Saturday, May 14 at 10:00 a. m. with burial following at Forest Hill Cemetery, the Rev. Alan Gibson officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Medical School General Research Fund, University of Michigan, c/o Louis Perdue, Medical Development, 1000 Oakbrook, Suite 100, Ann Arbor MI 48109 or The Breakfast at St. Andrew’s, 306 N. Division, Ann Arbor MI 48104.