1961
Dick Martin
(1927–1990)
Dick Martin received the very first L. Frank Baum Memorial Award at the International Wizard of Oz Club’s first Convention. He was honored for his advancement and preservation of the Oz saga. He served The Oz Club as a bibliographer, researcher, consultant, advisor, auctioneer, editor and contributor to The Baum Bugle, President and Vice-President.
Dick was a gifted writer and a gifted artist. He illustrated the fortieth Oz book, Merry Go Round by Eloise Jarvis McGraw and Lauren Lynn McGraw, as well as several abridgements of Baum’s books, and numerous other books for children.
In his years as editor of The Baum Bugle, Dick quietly expanded its breadth, greatly increased its literary quality, and established a very high standard for its series of early bibliographical essays on Baum and Oz books.
From 1969 to 1980, The Oz Club published other work illustrated by Dick, such as Yankee In Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson. In 1985, the Club published The Ozmapolitan of Oz. Dick wrote and illustrated this novel, which he regarded as one of his major works. He and James E. Haff also designed the map of Oz that is still sold by the Oz Club today.
