Bill Martin, the longtime director of the Valentine, died Sunday after being seriously injured in a traffic accident on Saturday. He was 71.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Valentine Director Bill Martin,” wrote Valentine acting director Meg Hughes in a statement on Sunday. “Bill dedicated 32 years of his life to the Valentine and to preserving and sharing Richmond’s stories with integrity, care and deep respect for this community. Over more than three decades, his leadership helped shape the museum into the place it is today, and his impact will be felt for generations to come. Our thoughts are with his friends and all those who had the privilege of working alongside him.”
In a press release issued Sunday afternoon, Richmond Police identified Martin as a pedestrian who had been hit by a vehicle at approximately 12:03 p.m. Saturday while walking in a crosswalk at East Broad and North 10th streets. The driver remained at the scene; charges are pending.
“I’m heartbroken over the loss of my dear friend, Bill Martin, who died Sunday after being struck by a driver,” said Richmond Mayor Danny Avula in a statement. “Bill was a Richmond icon, an historian who worked tirelessly to tell Richmond’s stories in new and lasting ways, with a particular passion for telling the fullness of our City’s complex history, but always pointing us forward. Bill’s passing is a tremendous loss for our community. I will miss him dearly, and I take comfort in the enduring legacy he leaves behind in the city he so thoughtfully served.”
A friendly, funny and sharp presence, Martin was a beloved leader who used the Valentine to help Richmond confront its contentious past. Following the toppling of the Jefferson Davis statue from its pedestal on Monument Avenue in June 2020, the museum, under Martin’s direction, collected it and put it on display as it appeared the night that it fell: overthrown, broken, and covered in pink and yellow paint.
When it came time to redo the Valentine Studio, the place where sculptor Edward Valentine once created statuary that idolized the Lost Cause, it became “Sculpting History at the Valentine Studio,” an exhibit that unpacks Lost Cause ideology to reveal its insidious nature.
A native of Brandy Station in Culpeper County, Martin earned a bachelor’s in urban studies and a master’s in public administration from Virginia Tech before being hired Okefenokee Heritage Center and Southern Forest World in Waycross, Georgia. Following a brief stint as the director of the Jacksonville Arts and Sciences Museum, he became director of Petersburg’s museums and tourism.
Martin was recruited by the Valentine in 1994 and is credited with bringing the museum back from the edge of financial ruin.
A longer obituary from Style is forthcoming.
From the Richmond Police:
“The Richmond Police Department Crash Team has identified the pedestrian involved in the fatal collision on East Broad Street as William Martin, 71, of Richmond.
Yesterday at approximately 2:10 p.m., officers were called to the intersection of East Broad and North 10th streets for the report of a vehicle colliding into a pedestrian. [Police later clarified that 2:10 p.m. was the incorrect time, and that Martin had been hit at approximately 12:03 p.m.]
Officers arrived and found an adult male, Martin, down and injured in the eastbound lanes of East Broad Street. The driver of the vehicle that struck Martin remained at the scene. Martin was transported to a local hospital with injuries that were considered life-threatening. Today, he succumbed to his injuries.
The RPD Crash Team responded to the scene to investigate. They have determined an adult male driver of the vehicle made a left turn from North 10th Street onto the eastbound lanes of East Broad Street and struck Martin while he was in the crosswalk. Charges are pending for the driver of the vehicle.
The investigation continues.
Anyone with further information about this collision is asked to contact RPD Crash Team Investigator D. Peppel at (804) 646-1042 or call Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000. The P3 Tips Crime Stoppers app for smartphones may also be used. All Crime Stoppers methods are anonymous.”
Update: Police updated the time of the accident, which has been reflected in the story.
