An honest man
One of the stories told by his son at Dennis Martin's funeral was this:
Dennis had joined two other engineers in setting up a consulting company, and work was sometimes sporadic; so they took a look at what else they could pursue, and decided on forensic engineering. They learned how to analyze and reconstruct the scenes and circumstances of accidents, both highway and industrial accidents. Dennis in particular was busy with several companies in Alaska. He was prized for his analytical acuity and effectiveness.
His son told us that Dennis made it clear from the outset every time a new person or company contacted him that he would investigate thoroughly and carefully, and that he would not shade, slant, or compromise his findings in any way. It did not matter who was footing the bill, they would get his work and his testimony on that basis and on no other. On one occasion, Dennis was contacted by a company who had used him before, to investigate an industrial accident. They agreed on terms; subsequently he received a phone call from the attorney representing the other side, and he told that person that he had already been retained by their opponent. So this attorney called the attorney for the first party and stipulated that whatever Dennis Martin found would be accepted by them as well, and they could proceed from there.
This was a striking story, a measure of the regard for both his skill and his integrity. They knew there wasn't anyone better that they could get, and they knew the results would be completely honest. In this world of dueling experts for hire, any result for a price, this kind of absolute trust was remarkable. He was a singular, remarkable man.
Dennis had joined two other engineers in setting up a consulting company, and work was sometimes sporadic; so they took a look at what else they could pursue, and decided on forensic engineering. They learned how to analyze and reconstruct the scenes and circumstances of accidents, both highway and industrial accidents. Dennis in particular was busy with several companies in Alaska. He was prized for his analytical acuity and effectiveness.
His son told us that Dennis made it clear from the outset every time a new person or company contacted him that he would investigate thoroughly and carefully, and that he would not shade, slant, or compromise his findings in any way. It did not matter who was footing the bill, they would get his work and his testimony on that basis and on no other. On one occasion, Dennis was contacted by a company who had used him before, to investigate an industrial accident. They agreed on terms; subsequently he received a phone call from the attorney representing the other side, and he told that person that he had already been retained by their opponent. So this attorney called the attorney for the first party and stipulated that whatever Dennis Martin found would be accepted by them as well, and they could proceed from there.
This was a striking story, a measure of the regard for both his skill and his integrity. They knew there wasn't anyone better that they could get, and they knew the results would be completely honest. In this world of dueling experts for hire, any result for a price, this kind of absolute trust was remarkable. He was a singular, remarkable man.
Marvelous story of a genuine person!
ReplyDeleteNow if we could only get politicians like that ...