On April 23, in honor of Edward Martins and his late wife, Donna, the newly built library and Learning Center was dedicated to them. Chabot College received its largest donation, 5 million dollars, from Edward Martins, one of the first and longest-serving trustees of the board of trustees.

After living in Hayward for many years, Edward E. Martins and his wife Donna L. Martins saw the need for charitable work in the area, which led to the creation of Donna L. & Edward E. Martins Foundation. The first donation to Chabot College from Donna L. & Edward E. Martins Foundation was a $1,000 scholarship in 2014.

Since then, the foundation has given multiple scholarships to students and staff over the years. The 5 million dollar donation is the largest in Chabot’s history, and is planned to support the college’s scholarships, programs, and services.

Edward Martins was a lawyer in Hayward for 50 years. Then he became a judge. His involvement with the community didn’t stop there, as he later became Deputy City Attorney for the City of Hayward and then General Counsel for the Hayward Recreation and Park District. He ran and became a trustee representing Hayward, and from there, along with the other trustees, he started Chabot College.

“During my years as a board member, we hired the first president, Dr. Buffington, then leased land from the San Leandro School District, bought some portable classrooms from Oakland, and started Chabot all in the same year.” Edward Martins said during his speech at the ceremony

The ceremony honored Edward and Donna L. Martins for their constant support of Chabot College. Their legacy and their unwavering commitment to not only Chabot College but also to all of Hayward will be remembered here on campus. 

Edward Martins ended his speech by saying, “At age 97, I hope that when I go to my final resting place, I may have left the planet a little better off than when I arrived.”