Jeremy Randall Martin, a San José State journalism alumnus, died suddenly on Dec 15th. He was 26.
Jeremy was born with a congenital heart defect that affected him throughout his life, but it never stopped him from pursuing his dreams and ambitions.
Randall Martin, his father, said he spent many of his summers at Camp Taylor, a nonprofit organization dedicated to children with heart diseases and their families.
“Jeremy took his experience and passion for helping others with the same condition by becoming a mentor and camp counselor, giving new and existing families hope for the future,” said Christie Martin, his mother.
He was an avid video game collector, and wrote a column on the Spartan Daily as a senior staff writer dedicated to his love for the medium called “Jeremy’s Campaign.”
On most mornings, Jeremy was always the first to enter into the newsroom at Dwight Bentall Hall.
As a writer, Jeremy had an incredible attention to detail, always working to make sure his writing was the best it could be. He would constantly contact his editors throughout the day to give updates and make sure he was on track with his work.
In Spring of 2023, Jeremy wrote an article for the Mental Health special issue titled “Video games healed my inner child.” In the story, he wrote about how video games helped him cope with his illness and shaped him into the person he had become.
“Video games teach everyone that no matter who you are, anyone can be a hero,” he wrote.
Jeremy graduated from San José State with a Bachelor of Science in journalism in May 2023.
He worked as a production assistant at KNTV NBC Bay Area, which he loved. He was approached by NBC to work with them after seeing a video he had made with the Spartan Daily.
“The Nintendo 64 is very near and dear to me,” he said in the video. “I was born with a heart condition, so I remember playing a lot of it in the hospital, especially Pokémon Stadium.”
Jeremy said his dream was to become a TV anchor.
NBC Bay Area honored him with a memorial segment on their news broadcast after his death.
“Jeremy Martin was a much-loved part of our production team and a very bright light in our newsroom,” said Jessica Aguirre, an NBC Bay Area news anchor.
Aguirre said that Jeremy was a beloved coworker who would always bring a smile to the newsroom, even on the most stressful days. She said that he was kind and giving, and had an infectious passion for his work and his work family.
“Jeremy did everything he dreamed of, he succeeded in his college journey and completed it with everything he had,” said Christie Martin. “Jeremy struggled with anxieties and feared the unknown but he never let this knock him down.”
In remembering Jeremy Martin, the Spartan Daily honors his dedication to his family, friends and community, and his unbreakable spirit that will continue to inspire those who were around him.
