On October 4, 2026, Rex Martin passed away at the age of 91. Rex led a big life and was loved by many. He was born in Marion, Indiana, on July 12, 1935. His mother Lois was a gifted schoolteacher, and his adventurous father Wayne, a salesman, pursued many other interesting lines of work including being a draftsman, Merchant Marine, and fire lookout.
Rex’s family, which included a younger sister, Diane, lived in various locations such as Indianapolis and Cincinnati before settling in Houston, where he went to high school. A talented debater, he and his partner won tournaments all over the state of Texas. Rex also made the acquaintance of Donna Lee Paul, who sat at the desk behind him in social studies class. The two went on a single, inauspicious date.
Rex attended Rice University in Houston, where he was inducted early into Phi Beta Kappa, served on the student honor council, and continued his career as a formidable debater. Donna also attended Rice. Their second date went better than the first. They were married on June 5, 1956. The following year, Rex graduated from Rice with straight 1’s (an oldfangled equivalent of straight A’s). Both he and Donna were named among the class’s ten outstanding seniors.
From his early interest in history Rex was drawn to the philosophy of history, seeking a graduate degree in philosophy. He was accepted by every Ivy League graduate school to which he applied. He chose Columbia University. He packed his already voluminous collection of books into boxes and shipped them to General Delivery, New York City. Once the couple were settled, he drove up a ramp through the huge Manhattan postal facility to retrieve them and was greeted with a cry by a postal worker, “It’s Rex from Texas!”
While Rex pursued his PhD in philosophy, Donna began a career in book publishing. Following the intensive academic life at Rice, the couple found exciting interests in New York City. An early visit to a free cultural event in Central Park introduced them to prima ballerina Melissa Hayden dancing in one outdoor venue and the soon-to-be-famous choreographer Alvin Ailey leading a dance troupe in another. They were drawn into a cultural life they’d never experienced, seeing symphonies conducted by the legendary Leonard Bernstein, enjoying internationally famous ballet performances, and finding quiet joy in the bustling city at the Museum of Modern Art. Such experiences broadened their horizons and helped to spark a lifelong appreciation for the arts.
After Columbia, Rex taught at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana, and Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and won a Danforth Fellowship that enabled him to study and live abroad before joining the faculty of the University of Kansas in 1968. During those years, the couple had two sons: Justin and Andrew. While living in Old West Lawrence, Donna and Rex made a circle of friends associated with KU that would stay with them for life.
In 1973, Rex became a full professor at KU. Drawing again on his fascination with history Rex became an expert on R.G. Collingwood, a major figure in the philosophy of history. He also developed an expertise on John Rawls, the twentieth century’s most important political philosopher. Seeking to resolve the debates surrounding Rawls’s positions on certain issues, Rex managed to get invited to the eminent philosopher’s home, where he learned first-hand.
Rex had a brilliant academic career. He was a visiting professor at the University of Helsinki in Finland, the University of Sydney in Australia, faculty of law, the University of Auckland (New Zealand) and others. Asked to join the regular faculty of the University of Wales in Swansea, he visited the city with Donna and decided to pursue a position that allowed him to split his time between Swansea and Lawrence so as to keep up with their family. Both universities agreed to the five-year arrangement. Research grants and fellowships took him to many other universities including Princeton and Oxford, the University of Edinburgh, and the National Humanities Center in North Carolina. Rex and Donna spent a year living in nearby Chapel Hill, with memorable holiday visits from the family.
Along with countless articles in scholarly journals, Rex is the author of three books: Historical Explanation (Cornell University Press, 1977), Rawls and Rights (University Press of Kansas, 1985), and A System of Rights (Oxford University Press, 2003). Rex’s professional laurels are too numerous to list but include honors conferred by Fulbright Research, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Rockefeller Research Fellowship. He was a visiting research fellow at Bellagio Study Center in Italy (June 1980).
Rex had an abiding passion for teaching. He was often named a distinguished teacher. And notably, in 1983, he was given the Byron T Shutz Award for Distinguished Teaching on Economic Systems, the first KU professor outside of business and economics to receive this commendation. His legions of former students are scattered all over the U.S. and also abroad—a source of great pride. Some followed in his footsteps and became philosophy professors.
Rex was a loving father. Justin had many interests growing up, ranging from typical boyhood pastimes (playing Little League games that his father sometimes umpired) to the more exotic (catching snakes and lizards). Andrew’s early pursuits included spending time in nature, taking art classes at the Nelson, and playing video games. He also secretly fed a white mouse that he kept cushioned in cotton in a drawer of the desk in his room until discovered by his dad.
Rex greeted his sons’ assorted interests with unwavering and enthusiastic support. Justin, now 61, lives in New York City and works as a writer; among his books is a biography of Frederick Law Olmsted, the pioneering landscape architect. Andrew, age 56, lives in Saratoga, California and works as an environmental planner for a local water management agency. Rex was very proud of how his boys turned out.
When each son got married, Rex declared that their respective wives, Liza and Colleen, were “perfect matches.” He welcomed them warmly into the family fold. And when his sons had children of their own, he became a doting grandfather.
Rex loved children, even those that weren’t relations. He’d wave to babies in parks, in stores, in restaurants—everywhere. He had a special fondness for redheads, owing in part to the fact that his own father was a redhead.
Rex was a longtime resident of Overland Park. He enjoyed good food and travel, classical music, and visiting the Nelson-Atkins and other local museums. He was a generous supporter of the arts in Kansas City.
At the time of his death, Rex was a professor emeritus at KU. He is survived by Donna Martin, his wife of 70 years. Donna was vice president and editorial director of Andrews & McMeel, a Kansas City publishing company, from 1980 to 1995, when she chose to be editor at large, joining Rex when he was abroad. After her retirement in 2000 she became a consulting editor for Kansas City Star Books. Rex is also survived by his sons: Justin and Andrew. He has three grandchildren: Dash, Theo, and Julia. Diane Caldwell, his younger sister, as well as her daughter Leigh, reside in Nashville. Diane’s son Brett lives in San Diego. Rex was deeply loved and touched many lives: Family and friends, former colleagues and former students. There will be a Celebration of Life at a future date.
Obituary published by McGilley & Hoge Johnson County Memorial Chapel.
