Janice Savage-Martin 

 

Duncanville ISD Board of Trustees vice president Janice Savage-Martin’s entire life has been intertwined with the City of Duncanville and the school district. Mrs. Savage-Martin has served for nearly a decade on the school board, but her family history in the City of Champions stretches back much further – for six generations.

Mrs. Savage-Martin’s grandmother graduated from Duncanville High School in 1928, and her mother graduated in 1950. Mrs. Savage-Martin was a member of the class of 1971, and although other members of her family eventually moved away, she chose to stay.

“I think the neatest thing about Duncanville is it’s kind of a hometown small-town atmosphere, but you have the availability of Dallas, Arlington, and Fort Worth within driving distance,” Mrs. Savage-Martin said. “So you have the amenities of the big city with the small-town feel.”

While she was a high school student, Mrs. Savage-Martin was a student council officer, a member of the National Honor Society, and sang in the choir. Some of her favorite high school memories come from the four years playing girls basketball under legendary coach Sandra Meadows. “There weren’t many activities for girls back then, so as a young child, you went to the games and aspired to be a Pantherette one day,” Mrs. Savage-Martin said.

After graduating from Duncanville High School, Mrs. Savage-Martin worked for the district for 21 years, retiring from her position as manager of the Risk Management Department in 2012. She could have walked away from the district at that point, but she views serving on the Board of Trustees as her civic duty.

“Duncanville ISD gave me a lot when I was working there and going to school there so it’s a way to kind of pay it back,” Mrs. Savage-Martin said. “I want Duncanville ISD to be the best that it can be and if I can contribute in any way I’m happy about that.”

Outside the business requirements of serving as a board member, Mrs. Savage-Martin says some of her favorite moments still come from attending Pantherettes basketball games and cheering on her former team.
In addition to serving the school district, Mrs. Savage-Martin says she loves spending time with her family, including her husband, Duncanville Chamber of Commerce president Steve Martin, her son Brody and his family including 5-year-old granddaughter, Parker, and 2-year-old grandson, Davis.