Dr Katharine (Hawley) Martin

Dr Katharine (Hawley) Martin, MD, 83, of Southbury, died October 13 at her home. She was the widow of Willard Shepherd Martin.

Dr Martin was born May 26, 1916 in New Haven, daughter of the late Mae Minor and Ralph Chipman Hawley, one of the founders of the Yale School of Forestry. She graduated from Smith College in 1936 and then received an MPH from Yale University in 1938. Dr Martin completed her medical degree at Yale in 1944. She interned in pediatrics at New Haven Hospital and then was a resident in psychiatry at Bellevue in New York City and at New York State Psychiatric Institute. From 1947 to 1949 she was a Fellow in Child Psychiatry at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic. From 1949 to 1959 Dr Martin served as psychiatrist-director of the Child Guidance Clinic of Waterbury. She acted for the next ten years as consultant at the Yale Child Study Center, the Connecticut State Hospital and at the Connecticut Junior Republic.

Dr Martin was one of the pioneers in the field of child psychiatry in this state. She was particularly interested in a family model of intervention and an interdisciplinary approach. In her later years, she studied and worked with non-traditional approaches to therapy. From 1952 to 1987 she engaged in full time private practice of psychiatry at her home in Watertown.

Moving to Heritage Village in 1989, Dr Martin continued practicing part time until retiring later that year. Her primary hospital affiliation over the years was with Waterbury Hospital as attending psychiatrist.

Dr Martin’s life was focused on offering care and support for women and children. She was also deeply concerned about the welfare of our natural world – forests, mountains, and all forms of wildlife. She was an accomplished pianist and loved making music, alone and with others.

The family wishes to gratefully acknowledge the wonderful care given to Dr Martin at her home by her nurses.

She is survived by a daughter, Patricia Plouffe, of Southbury; four nieces, Judith Heydt of Atlanta, Ga., Holly Sue Angier and Alexandra Hawley, both of Cambridge, Mass., and Martha Hawley of Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and several grand nieces and nephews as well as numerous friends.

The Munson-Lovetere Funeral Home, 235 Main Street North, Southbury, was in charge of arrangements.

Memorial contributions may be made to UNICEF or to a charity of the donor’s choice.

The Newtown Bee          October 22, 1999