J. Landis Martin (Kellogg ’68, Pritzker ’73), the former chair of Northwestern’s Board of Trustees and one of NU’s largest benefactors, died Friday at 77.

J. Landis Martin served on the Board of Trustees from 1999 until 2022, spending his last five years as the board’s chair until his term ended in August 2022.

J. Landis Martin listed NU’s rise in national rankings, successful fundraising efforts, and diversity and equity initiatives as some of his proudest accomplishments at a Faculty Senate meeting last year.

“I’m truly saddened to hear of (J. Landis Martin’s) passing,” University President Michael Schill said in a Friday news release. “He has given so much to Northwestern, through his leadership, his guidance and his unwavering support for his alma mater.”

In 2022, the University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters and elected him a life trustee.

J. Landis Martin and his wife, Sharon, were some of the University’s most charitable donors. The couple gave nearly $45 million to NU, most recently donating $3 million last fall to endow several faculty positions at the Pritzker School of Law.

The Lanny and Sharon Martin Atrium on NU’s Chicago Campus and the Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium, home to NU’s soccer and lacrosse teams, are dedicated to the Martins for their financial support of the University.

Before serving as chair of the Board of Trustees, J. Landis Martin was the chairman and CEO of metal manufacturing company Titanium Metals Corporation and founded a Colorado-based private equity firm in 2006.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @jacob_wendler

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