Martin shares hometown, family stories during Conrad library visit

Tom Martin has deep roots in the Conrad community. A native and 1961 Beaman-Conrad graduate, he is the son of a former Conrad mayor and the father of the current one, Jeff Martin. Although he now resides in Iowa City, his hometown plays a crucial role in informing the experiences that became “Stories My Kids Are Tired of Hearing,” a memoir that was published earlier this year. Martin stopped at the Conrad Public Library last Thursday night to explain the process of writing the book and sign copies for the 16 audience members in attendance.
           
“The book is nothing but stories, period,” he said. “When I was growing up, everyone sat around and told stories, and we don’t do that anymore for a lot of reasons. I wanted to pass those stories on to my kids, grandkids and anyone who’s interested.”
           
Martin admitted in an interview with The Grundy Register that his kids actually haven’t heard many of the stories in the book, but he found the title to be catchy and stuck with it. His great-grandfather first purchased land in the area in 1886, and though Tom hasn’t lived there since he graduated from high school, he still considers the community home. 
 
Read more in this week's Grundy Register.