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Martha Churchill is a Milan attorney, local historian and columnist for The Milan News-Leader.
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The Milan News-Leader has launched a new series called "Don't I know you?" about people you see around town who you may not know very well, but they're familiar faces because of their involvement in the community. Martha Churchill, a Milan attorney, local historian and columnist for The Milan News-Leader, is the third to be featured. Below are his responses to our Q&A.
Q: Where did you grow up and what was it like?
A: I grew up in Lansing, Muskegon, Chelsea and Ann Arbor. My father was able to progress through his career as a chemical engineer, but it involved moving to another city whenever he started a different job. I learned to swim in Lake Michigan while we lived in Muskegon. I started playing the trombone in sixth grade in Chelsea.
Q: What are your parents' names and any roots in the community?
A: My parents are Donald and Carol Churchill. They moved to Milan in about 1972 so they could live closer to their business, Scio Plastics on Division Street. They are both retired now and live at the Saline Evangelical Home.
Q: How many siblings and where you fall in the birth order.
A: I am the third of seven children. Because I am quite a bit older than the youngest siblings, my role was something like an aunt. I used to sew dresses for my two youngest sisters. I have lots of happy memories nurturing the younger ones.
Q: What high school did you attend and when did you graduate?
A: I graduated from Ann Arbor High School in 1969. There were over 1,000 students in my graduating class, so I did not get to know them all very well. For my senior class trip, I went with my Russian class to Moscow and Leningrad during spring break. I was able to practice my Russian in the subways whenever I got lost down there.
Q: What college did you attend and when did you graduate?
A: I did not have to take a foreign language at the University of Michigan because I had four years of Russian in high school. I majored in journalism and anthropology. I completed my bachelor's in 1973.
Q: What is your career?
A: My first career was working as a kitchen aide at Mercywood Hospital when it was on Jackson Road west of Ann Arbor. I got to be pals with some of the Catholic nuns who owned the hospital. This job helped me pay for my senior class trip to Russia, and also helped me purchase a car.
My next career was news reporting and photography. I worked part time for The Ann Arbor News and then full time for the Ionia Daily Sentinel Standard. While living in Ionia, I learned how to fly an airplane. I quit the job in Ionia to go to Israel and live on a kibbutz.
My current career is law. I started law school in 1976 when I returned home from the kibbutz. I've been a lawyer ever since.
Q: Growing up, who was the biggest influence in your life and why?
A: My mother was a storehouse of energy and inspiration. She graduated from Michigan State University and at the same time completed nursing school. My mother wanted to become a doctor, but the medical schools would not consider her because she was a woman. She always told us she wanted to be a medical doctor and couldn't. I am proud to say my older sister has made this dream a reality and has "M.D." after her name.
All of the children were encouraged to be and to accomplish whatever they wished. One or two of the children had trouble in school, so my parents hired a tutor. Education and learning were No. 1.
Q: Name someone or something in your life that has truly shaped you as a person and explain why or how.
A: I was going along just fine, minding my own business, when Warren Hale started telling me interesting stories about Milan history. Then he asked me to scan his pictures. I have adopted his love of Milan history, his philosophy of life and, to some extent, his sense of humor. He was a lot of fun and I think about him all the time.
Q: What do you do for a living and why go into this field?
A: I applied for entry to Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing in 1975. I honestly didn't think I would be admitted. However, I was admitted and I got good grades. That was a shock. Sometimes other students asked me for help explaining our class work.
Q: Can you describe what you do?
A: People call me or visit with any number of situations. The client expects me to come up with a solution. Sometimes I can prepare documents that solve the problem. Sometimes I suggest something else the person can do to get out of trouble. My main areas of law right now are Social Security disability for people under age 62, and bankruptcy for people who don't earn enough to pay their bills.
Q: How were you introduced to it?
A: I went to a meeting for news reporters in Lansing, and met the president of Cooley Law School. I asked him a challenging question about the law. He suggested I apply to law school, and I did.
Q: What do you enjoy about it?
A: Generally, I can help the person live a better life by guiding the person through the legal process or by making suggestions how to untangle their life.
Q: Any accolades over the years?
A: The Defense Research Institute of Chicago gave me a wonderful award in 1992, the G. Duffield Smith award for my legal treatise explaining class action lawsuits in plain English. I flew to San Francisco and wore a floor-length evening gown for the occasion.
Q: Can you see yourself doing anything else?
A: I can't imagine not being an attorney.
Q: If you had not chosen this profession, what do you think you would be doing and why?
A: I would be leading rafting trips down the Shangani River in Zimbabwe, southern Africa, as a tour guide.
Q: Do you see yourself retiring from this post?
A: Yes, six strong men are going to retire me some day at Marble Park Cemetery.
Q: Looking back, is there a memorable experience from work?
A: Yes, there was the time when a federal judge in Detroit almost threw me in jail.
Q: Is there an experience of how you helped someone or affected someone's life?
A: Occasionally, I turn the light bulb on for someone and help the person see how they can change their behavior and solve a problem. At other times, I prepare documents that make things easier for people.
Q: Has anyone touched your life through this position?
A: I constantly run into generous and gracious people as part of my job.
Q: What do you enjoy about living in Milan?
A: I have wonderful neighbors and I am close to my office.
Q: What is your involvement in the community?
A: I belong to quite a few organizations and clubs, such as the City Council, the Milan Area Historical Society, MORE and the Rotary Club. Organizations like these contribute to the community in all different ways.
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