Martha Canter Hawes

Martha Hawes Obituary

Martha C. Hawes passed away on January 29, 2025 in Tucson, AZ. She was born on September 17, 1952, in Owensboro, Kentucky. Her high school years were filled with a variety of activities including lifeguard, swim teacher, Director of YWCA swim program, Head of United Fund VolunTeen program, waitress, and file clerk. She graduated from Daviess County High School in 1970. Next she attended Centre College, Kentucky, where she received a B.S. in Biology in 1974. Her college years included jobs such as laundry, food, library, clerical, and babysitting services as well as anthropology assistant. At Clemson University, she was a lab manager for mycology collections and research assistant for nematology test plots. Then Martha spread her wings beyond Kentucky with travels in her 1968 Volkswagen Bug for 3 years. She worked at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming in housekeeping, front desk, information desk, and personnel; at Truckstops of America in Cedar City, Utah; at Memorial General Hospital in Las Cruces, New Mexico; and in Aspen, Colorado where she was a bartender and a woodworking apprentice, a skill which she continued to enjoy throughout her life. Then she continued her education receiving two graduate degrees from the University of Kentucky including an M.S. in Plant Pathology in 1980 and a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology in 1982. Next she did two postdocs including one at the University of Florida and another at the University of Missouri, before joining the faculty as an assistant professor in Plant Pathology at the University of Arizona in 1986. She continued the rest of her career at the University of Arizona until she retired in 2017 as a full professor in Soil, Water and Environmental Science.

While in Tucson, she met the love of her life, Hans Van Etten (died August 1, 2015). They fell in love on a California beach, and were married at The Van Etten Farm in Illinois (Woodford County) on August 11, 1990. They purchased 65 acres in southwest Tucson, and built their new home using beams from pine trees at The Van Etten Farm as well as incorporating native rocks from their new property. They moved into their new home in 2003.

Martha was an extraordinary person. She was brilliant, and always thought beyond the mainstream. She was very creative in both her professional and personal life. Martha has a long list of major accomplishments during her life. In her profession, she was a pioneer in her work with border cells which previously were believed to be sloughed off dead cells, but she demonstrated that they were a living interface between roots and soil offering protection to developing root tips. Border cells are now recognized in many botany textbooks. Martha’s research was supported by numerous grants including ones from the National Science Foundation, and produced well over 100 scientific works on border cells. She was awarded the prestigious Pelton Award in 2012 from the Botanical Society of America in recognition of her work. She also was active in the American Phytopathological Society and the American Society of Plant Biologists. Martha also exceled in areas outside of her plant pathology profession. She was one of the foremost authorities for using nonsurgical methods such as exercise to treat scoliosis as demonstrated by at least 14 publications including a book.

Martha loved wood carving, and envisioned figures to carve in every scrap of wood. She and Hans also created picture frames from saguaro ribs. They enjoyed camping together. She also enjoyed mentoring her students to blossom into scientists. She had a special place in her heart for all creatures, especially those found in the Sonoran Desert as demonstrated by her photos of them displayed throughout her home. These animals were her children, and she spent endless hours watching, talking and caring for them. She often told the story of the javelina who danced to country music. She was a warm, welcoming, kind, caring and giving individual. In 2016, she donated their land to Pima County to expand the Tucson Mountain Park, a dream shared by Martha and Hans. Hence, Martha was truly a unique and wonderful addition to this world. Her final wish was to “Save the Planet”.

A celebration of her life will be at a later date.