Toby Martin was devoted to art. As a young child, he loved combing through discarded items at his grandfather's dump to view shapes, colors and light. This nourished his passion for the arts, particularly in the area of sculpture.
Mr. Martin was born in Jacksonville, Fla., and graduated from Morehouse College in 1976. He later went on to get a Masters in Fine Arts from Georgia State University.
For the last 25 years, he taught Sculpture and Drawing at Spelman College. A number of his outdoor sculptures are installed on Spelman's campus and around Atlanta. One of his most recent sculptures, "Music of Love Elevates the Soul" was on view at the LaGrange National XXVII Biennial.
Frank Toby Martin, 60, of Atlanta died April 25 at Piedmont Hospital following a brief illness. His memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Spelman College's Sisters Chapel. Murray Brothers Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
His daughter Nikki Martin of Manhattan said her father decided to leave corporate America early on to dedicate his life to art.
"He was very spiritual and passionate about his sculptures; he wanted them to express his deepest feelings about life," she said.
Ms. Martin studied to become an entertainment lawyer, but once she got into her first large firm, she was very unhappy and bored.
"My father was the inspiration for me to give all that up and become a performing artist. I decided I didn't want to facilitate other people's dreams; I wanted to live my own."
Mr. Martin's son, Justin Martin of Williamsburg, Va., said his father originally wanted to be a professional baseball player, but he lacked the discipline to get to that level.
"But that experience taught him you must go the extra mile to achieve your dreams," he said.
His son said when he was younger, that motto didn't make a lot of sense, but as he matured, he now knows his dad meant: "You have to keep striving for what's important and never give up."
Mr. Martin enjoyed traveling during the summer months and both of his children often accompanied him. One of their fondest memories was from a trip to Cyprus. The three of them wandered around the city of Nicosia looking for somewhere to eat and finally found a restaurant on a back street away from everything. It was just simple Mediterranean fare of fish, meat and fresh vegetables, but it was truly one of the best meals any them had ever eaten -- and they've never forgotten that night.
Mr. Justin Martin said his father often used the intro "when I leave this world" to preface many of his statements.
"He wanted us to know that life is short, so find what drives you and then make the sacrifices necessary, because it will be worth the journey," his son said.
Mr. Martin is also survived by his wife, Beverly Martin, of Atlanta and his mother, Laura Bryant Martin, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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