Memorial for Ken Martin [1/8/1934-6/11/2025]
Sat. May 30, 2026, at Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting
20 E Mermaid Lane, Philadelphia, PA, and Zoom.
RSVP to secretary at chestnuthillquakers.org.
Ken and Monika in Ammersee, Germany in 2023,
where they spent six months. His last trip to Germany.
—
Also see Ken honored among 100+ departed MNS Alums on our memorial page]
Dear MNS alumni [From Monika Brandmair] Some may know, my husband Ken Martin, who attended Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting for the last ten years, where he served on the Hospitality Committee, passed away on June 11th, 2025 at the age of 91.
Ken’s life was a force for social and political change. His belief that this should be done in a thoughtful, gentle, and nonviolent way led him to Quaker organizations. In the Movement for a New Society (MNS) and its Life Center, which grew out of A Quaker Action Group in the 70s, he found a political home. There, he was an active member of the Philadelphia Namibia Action Group (PNAG) dedicated to supporting Namibia’s independence from South Africa’s illegal occupation. He served on several related Committees at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) for which he later served as the Associate Executive Secretary.
Ken was a passionate teacher. It was at Community College of Philadelphia that he taught English for most of his professional life. Coming from teaching at colleges with a more affluent and privileged student body, he found meaning in serving, together with a group of dedicated educators, a community less fortunate. Here he felt needed, he would say, and rolled up his sleeves. Joining the Conflict Resolution Committee and the teacher’s union at CCP was another opportunity to promote the changes he believed in and yet another reflection of his commitment to peace and justice.
The Memorial Meeting (Trauerfeier) and Reception in Ken’s honor
will be Saturday, May 30th, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at
the Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting [Also hybrid by Zoom].
Please let us know whether you are planning to attend in person or virtually by May 25th. For those who plan to attend in person, your RSVP is very helpful for planning the reception. For those who will be attending virtually, after we receive your RSVP, we will send you the zoom link a few days before. RSVP to secretary at chestnuthillquakers.org and cc to mmb1557 at aol.com.