Retired Math Professor Dr. Joseph G. R. Martinez of UNM Recently Featured on Close Up Radio

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, UNITED STATES, May 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Few people have surmounted challenges and then risen to the top the way that Dr. Joseph G. R. Martinez has. It began with his birth, challenged by a rare disorder called pernicious anemia. While he spent some very formative years in a hospital setting, he discovered a miraculous reason to survive, and received his first message in math, his future calling. He could not yet speak, but he received the angelic message and tacitly understood. That gift for algebra, one of the most difficult subjects to master, set the course for a career helping others understand these mathematical formulas, and shaped a new generation of intellectuals and teachers.

Doctor Martinez has all the hallmarks of a great professor, the most significant of which is a clear passion for the subject matter. He was also open, available, and a mentor who helps others lean into their strengths. When his late wife pointed out that what was common sense to him might not be as easily understood by others, he shifted his manner and outlined every single one of the steps needed to arrive at a complex answer. Being imperfect and willing to adapt made him all the more honorable and relatable as a professor guiding future math teachers.

“I began my career in the Marine Corps and went back to college when I returned. At first, I studied Psychology because I wanted to understand how people think and why they behave in such different ways. I was someone who had to keep learning and my heart was with people who felt similar. I taught students at the University of New Mexico who would later become High School Math Teachers. It was a great way to live and think. And to follow the path God, The Father had in mind for me.”

Dr. Martinez says that life was not always easy for him as a youngster. The other children in the family he was adopted into thought he was odd, sick and likely unable to learn. One step-sibling even went so far as to call him retarded. When he attended Catholic School in Albuquerque his real level of intelligence came to light, and he closed any skill gaps in English his very first year.

It wasn’t until later in life that Joseph Martinez came to understand the anomalies that had mad e him appear so listless as a baby. The diagnosis of pernicious anemia clarified parts of his early life. The statistics on pernicious anemia are staggering and many who are born with it don’t survive birth, or much past their births. It is an inherited condition, found in the Y chromosome, and it affects the levels of many vitamins that are essential to good health, development and stability. (There are more unique circumstances to his birth, but he cannot discuss them as they are labelled Top Secret by US Government authorities).

One thing that kept him going in his darkest hours was his faith. According to Martinez, before he could speak or even process feelings, he sensed a deep and intuitive connection with God. It nurtured him in isolation and later when other children would tease him. He believes he survived because there was a special spiritual purpose waiting in the wings for him. It involves the Jewish people, and the fact that Ashkenazi Jews (those born into Germanic cultures) have one of the highest rates of the anemic disease. He wants to relay a message to them all to accept Jesus as their savior.

Martinez quotes several passages from the bible about Joseph of Egypt, healing, and absolution. He also refers to a particular section of Deuteronomy. He says that God chose the Jewish people and also chose him to spread the word of the existence of a divine redeemer.

Joseph G R Martinez attributes his survival and later studies and career all to the guidance of the holy spirit, which he says has a feminine presence and temperament. His love of mathematics and statistics grew during his college years, and he learned to refine his approach and demystify complex material. At the University of New Mexico, he stepped into further roles that included Regents Professor. He helped students realize that math might be challenging, but it is truly more of an asset than a hurdle.

Doctor Martinez has an intriguing and widely arced history. He reminds us daily of the value of education in molding both the mind and the spirit. While he is now retired, his teaching continues to impact generations of brilliant minds, seekers and educators alike.

“We are academics. It’s a whole different group of humanity and worldwide too. We have a mission. We go for it and rarely turn things down.”

Hear more in his return engagement with Closeup news media. Hosts Jim and Doug are excited to have this brilliant man return and to probe his unique mind further.

Close Up Radio recently featured Joseph G. R. Martinez, PhD in a two-part interview with Jim Masters on Tuesday May 19th at 7pm Eastern, and with Doug Llewelyn on Tuesday May 26th at 4pm Eastern

Listen to the Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/part-1-close-up-radio-welcomes-back-retired-math-professor/id1785721253?i=1000768880487
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-close-up-radio-242020413/episode/part-1-close-up-radio-welcomes-back-retired-math-professor-dr-joseph-g-r-martinez-of-unm-334329658
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6wX2YmZs9vLSEWdmSt3FMl

Lou Ceparano
Close Up Television & Radio
+1 631-850-3314
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Facebook

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.