When Judy asked me to “help” her get Art Dallas started, there was a real estate, cattle, cotton and (oh yes) S&L depression busy “Teachin ‘Texcis’ Who was Boss”.  I was a part-time bicycle mechanic taking night classes in welding at a local junior college. After all, in a depression, every PhD in visual physiology needs a trade.

My involvement with Art Dallas started months before it opened. Judy “allowed” me to negotiate Art Dallas’s first leases, develop its first business plan and prepare a prospectus for her new company. However, she didn’t HIRE me until she’d managed to shed a partner and was sure she had a position I might be able to fill. Boy, can that girl sell!

Regardless, the past 20 years in the art business with Judy has been a journey I couldn’t have imagined growing up in Boston, Massachusetts, where I’d been trained to follow the rest of my male lineage into the investment business (after Harvard).

Nope, instead of a distinguished career managing other people’s money, “Doctor” Martin wound up learning to wear whatever hat was needed to push/help/guide Judy’s little company along. Lots of mistakes. Lots of dumb luck. Some not-so-dumb luck. It’s been quite a ride.

I like to think we’ve come a long way since those early days. I also like to think we’ve stayed true to the things we thought were important on day one. I am and always will be grateful to all the wonderful people along the way who’ve made today’s Art Dallas possible. I’ve learned a lot. There’s still a lot to do.