Max Martz
 |
2015
Max Martz
Athletics
Class of 1956
Max graduated from Beatrice High School in 1956. Max received the Cook Trophy as the outstanding athlete in 1956. He was also President of the BHS Letterman's Club. Max was a member of the 1956 School Champion track team and was the state gold medal winner in the High Hurdles. He also lettered in 3 years of football, basketball, and track. The Lincoln Journal Star named Max their State Outstanding Athlete for the 1955-1956 school year. He was then recruited by Pete Elliot, the head football coach at the University of Nebraska, to play football for the Huskers.
While at Nebraska, Max lettered for 3 years in varsity football for the Huskers. One year, Max lead the big 8 in punt returns. He also punted, along with playing offense and defense. He also lettered as a halfback on Nebraska's undefeated freshman football team. Max was a member of the 'N' club and also the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, of which he was the president in 1959. Max graduated from UNL and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Air Force. He entered navigator training and was eventually assigned to the 41st Air Transport Squadron as a line navigator. Later he attained the rank of Captain and flew over 600,000 air miles and landed in 50 countries and islands before returning to civilian life. Max's civilian career has involved serving as Dean of Students at John J. Pershing College, as a department head of the First National of Fremont, Nebraska and as a Regional Sales Managed at Tote Systems. As CEO of Martz Distributing, Ma grew the business from a small base of 5 employees to 13 full time and 2 part-time employees, covering 8 southeastern countries.
Max has served his community and state. He is a past member of the State Board of Directors of the Groundwater Foundation and in the mid-1980s, was appointed by the Governor to the Citizens Advisory Committee under the office of the Department of Environmental Control. Max is a member of the Masonic Lodge, The Shrine, pas member of Rotary and a charter member of the Sunrise Sertoma Club. He is an active charter member of the Gage County Foundation.