A license plate that read "2MARS" was a good indication that reaching for the stars was but a start for George Martin.

 

In a life that spanned 51 years he trained, studied and persisted in pursuit of his dream to become an astronaut.

 

Even if he didn't attain that lofty goal, he got as close as imaginable, doing so with dedication to country and to those in his medical care at NASA and in the Air Force.

Col. George A. Martin, M.D. was one of six crewmen killed in a plane crash off Guam on July 21, 2008. He was deputy commander of the 36th Medical Group at Andersen Air Force Base.

 

Many friends and family members who gathered in his memory in Columbus on Saturday and Sunday take solace in knowing that he died doing something he loved.

 

"It's still difficult to talk about, but my younger son and I were able to see him last March," said Clarissa "Mickey" Clark, Martin's sister.

 

"It was a priceless trip. I am so glad we got to do it."

 

Clark and George -- the family called him "Gordy" -- were closer to one another than to their older siblings, John and Craig "C. Sunny" Martin.

 

"Gordy and I were a year-and-a-month apart," she said. "We were favorite playmates and academic rivals. We got in trouble together; we discovered matches together...."

 

Watching space launches and intergalactic science fiction were shared interests that would be merely entertainment for most children.

 

One childhood reflection of Sunny Martin puts things into perspective. It was when George was eight or nine years old and the family lived in a duplex on Fairwood Avenue.

 

Coming home from school on Friday, he pitched a tent in the backyard and stretched extension cords from the house to provide lighting and other power needs for a full weekend under canvas.

 

"He wanted to see what astronauts went through in a capsule," Sunny said. "He had crackers and sardines. He was peeing in a bottle, doing the whole thing."

 

George's fascination with National Geographic magazines triggered a taste for the exotic and provided a preview of the places he would travel to and lecture as a pioneer and expert in space medicine.

 

He felt that he had fulfilled all of the qualifications to be an astronaut, but came up short because of racism and because he grew up in a disfunctional family and lacked the pull of some of the other candidates in the aerospace program, Sunny said.

 

If there's anything that competed with Gordy's commitment to aerospace it was his passion for the Buckeyes.

 

"He always showed with Ohio State gear," Sunny said. "I only saw my brother in uniform once in my life."

 

Enrollment in Air Force Reserve Officer Training made it financially possible for George to attend OSU, Sunny said.

 

Robert "Bert" Reed of Indianapolis, one of George's Beta Kappa Alpha fraternity brothers, said that those who organized the celebration of life gathering on Sunday at the Hyatt Regency wanted to make sure that people from all generations of George's life were present. Many loved ones had been unable to attend earlier services in Guam and in Las Vegas, home of George's second wife, Ursula. She and his former wife, Jillian, both attended the Columbus celebration of life.

 

George had grown up Roman Catholic, but strayed from religion for many years until adopting the faith of Ursula, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

 

 

Such a major values shift practically begged for reciprocity.

 

"He converted Ursula's family, who were totally USC people, to Buckeyes," Reed said. "On game day It was a sight to see, everybody from grandparents to little kids dressed up in Buckeye stuff."

 

George, a life member of the OSU Alumni Association, unswervingly promoted and defended the Scarlet and Gray.

 

"George was a Buckeye fanatic in every sense of the word," Reed said. "He attended every championship and he flew in from Europe or flew in from Guam, whatever the cost."

 

He carried the Buckeye banner to all parts of the world, Reed said.

 

"And if he had every gone to Mars, there's no doubt he would have planted a Buckeye flag on Mars," Reed said.

 

Some of the folks who sent condolensces didn't know George personally, but merely as an intense, opinionated blogger for Bucknuts.

 

College days had launched a lot of fond memories for James Bragg of Chicago, 52, another of George's fraternity brothers.

 

"I called him 'Godson' and he called me 'Godfather,' " said Bragg, noting with humor that they were the same age.

 

"George knew how to have a good time, but was grounded. He kept balance."

 

Such balance helped him earn his bachelor's and medical degrees from Ohio State, as well as a master's from Central Missouri State University.

 

George's diverse interests, natural curiosity and deep intellect appealed to another frat brother, Kurt A. Looper of Powell. They met in 1976, when Looper was in his third year at OSU, and George, his second. And they often spent time on campus at Royer Hall, a popular gathering spot at the time for blacks.

 

"He was the all-around athlete and I was the bookworm," Looper said. "He was so much of what I never was, so I thought he could complement whatever I brought to the table."

 

Looper had envisioned a joint venture with George in their retirement years, working with disenfranchised males at a sort of "finishing school" that would teach leadership development, manhood and academic skill building.

 

George is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, but his example for life rest with those who knew him.

 

"Without trying to do it he motivated my family to excel," his sister said

 

Bragg said the lesson from George is to stay focused on your goals and make sure you really enjoy what you're doing.

 

"And if you do it the right way, people will appreciate it and love you for it," Bragg said.