Isenberg takes a positive attitude to work every day.

"Our department is going through a remarkable period of growth and transformation, and this keeps my job very challenging," she says. "At the same time, I try to maintain a supportive, cooperative and positive atmosphere within the department."

That supportive and positive attitude has earned Isenberg the annual Eudoxia Girard Martin Memorial Staff Recognition Award. It was presented Friday, Dec. 9, at the annual clerical and service staff recognition luncheon in Purdue Memorial Union.

The Martin Award is given annually to a staff member who possesses those qualities of heart, mind and spirit which evince a love for and helpfulness to students, faculty and staff, as demonstrated in the performance of the recipient's professional duties. It is awarded to an administrative assistant or level-five secretary on the West Lafayette campus.

"This award is a living commemoration of an extraordinary woman, Eudoxia Gerard Martin," Isenberg says. "To be viewed by your co-workers and colleagues as possessing attributes like those of Mrs. Martin is humbling. Simply being nominated was both an honor and a privilege."

The Martin Award was established by two of Martin's sons, Leslie Martin and Carlton Martin, and is intended for fifth-level secretaries or administrative assistants with five years of continuous service to Purdue. It is awarded to staff who accomplish their duties with a special caring and helpfulness to students, faculty and staff.

Martin was executive secretary to Andrey Potter, dean of the Schools of Engineering from 1920 to 1953, and Willard Knapp, associate dean of the Schools of Engineering from 1943 to 1955.

The award to honor Martin is a medallion, a framed description of her life and a $1,000 honorarium.

Past winners of the Martin Award are Carol Graefnitz, engineering administration; Katy Ibrahim, International Programs in Agriculture; Sandy Spitznagle, agronomy; and Nancy Eberle, mathematics.

Isenberg hopes her positive attitude helps bring out the best in those she works for and with.

"As the clerical supervisor in our office, I try to promote a healthy balance of professional responsibility and friendly rapport," she says. "As I look at myself, I cannot say my life and my life's contributions are comparable to those of Eudoxia Girard Martin. However, I can say I am grateful to those who believe that I have contributed in some small way to making their lives better."

Martin Award nominations are invited each fall. For more information, contact Carrie Hanson at 49-47397 or chanson@purdue.edu.

Source: Inside Purdue, December 13, 2005, page 7.