Eric Martin

After high school I went to the University of Hawaii, got a BA degree in 1971 and then did graduate study off and on for a few years. In 1974 I got a part time summer job with Western Airlines in Honolulu and this was the start of my 31 year career in the airline industry, first with Western and then with Delta Air Lines when they merged with Western in 1987. I worked in airport customer service at first and then in reservations and sales. The highlight of my years at Chaffey was being on the track team and I've maintained a love of the sport ever since. I ran one year of track in college then only sporadically a few more years. The last time I competed was the 1975 Hawaii State AAU meet where I got second in the long jump. After that I became a recreational runner and have run lots of fun runs, mostly 5Ks though I did one 10K and a Bay to Breakers. Once I settled into my airline career I found a way to combine my interest in travel with my interest in track and field by planning vacations around major international track events. The first one was the Montreal Olympics in 1976. I also went to World Track and Field Championships in Helsinki in 1983, Seville in 1999 and Edmonton 2001 as well as many major meets and championships in the US, most recently this year's USA championships in Sacramento.

My airline career allowed me to move around some and in 1978 I relocated to the San Francisco bay area and in 1993 to Salt Lake City. After I retired I settled in the Sacramento area, currently living in Vacaville. I've been blessed to be able to travel extensively over the years. Some memorable trips I've taken have been to Fiji, Hong Kong, New Zealand & Australia, Greece, Panama Canal cruise and many visits to Hawaii. Recently I went to southern Africa in 2016 and earlier this year to India. Next year I plan to visit Israel.

When I was in Australia I got to experience a Chaffey connection when I visited Mildura, a sister city of Upland, which was founded by the Chaffey brothers after they left California. There are many similarities to Ontario and Upland including a twin of Euclid Ave, called Deakin Ave there, and another Chaffey High School called Chaffey Secondary College!