Ed at famous Davis show house, the Robot Rocket ResidenceEd Martin was a longtime beloved KDVS DJ, KDVS mentor, and KDVS listener. He hosted the show Cactus Corners on-air and as a mentor and listener often called into other DJs' shows, even in the middle of the night from his home base in Nevada City, to provide compliments and encouragement. He also attended music shows in the Davis music scene. He considered himself, in his words, a "senior mascot" of KDVS and its younger populace of DJs. His friendly, ever-interested, and ever-enthusiastic demeanor was not unlike Huell Howser's, right down to his Southern drawl. He began listening to the station in the early 1980s when he was a fire lookout at the peak of the Tahoe National Forest where he could tune in to any radio station in the western United States. He is on the record saying that KDVS was the best station he could find.
In his life prior to KDVS involvement, Ed studied history at Emory University and later practiced law. He founded one of the first food co-ops in Atlanta, GA, Georgia being his home state. He was also a contributor to a counter-cultural Emory newspaper. Among his involvements in Nevada City, he served as program director of the independent radio station KVMR. Following this, he set off to Georgia again, this time to pursue a Master's degree in forestry through the University of Georgia and a side program in city planning at Georgia Tech. While studying, he became involved with the Georgia Tech radio station, WREK.
Media
Ed is featured in various videos about KDVS as well as the UC Davis Dept. of Music such as this one and this one. He was also the subject of articles such as this one.
One can listen to Ed conducting an interview on KDVS here.
Obituary
Ed passed away January 2015 after an undisclosed illness. There was an outpouring of grief through the KDVS community, as Ed was a friend to many and had touched so many lives. His obituary can be found here. A personal recollection of Ed, written by one of his WREK friends, can be found here.
Photos
Ed and fellow KDVS DJs circa 2010/2011
Ed in the KDVS stacks
