RICHMOND, Va. — Bill Martin, director of the Valentine museum in Richmond, died Sunday after being seriously injured while walking in downtown Richmond the day before.
Richmond Police confirmed that Martin, 71, was hit by a driver while in a crosswalk at the intersection of East Broad and North 10th streets on Saturday afternoon.
"Officers arrived and found an adult male, Martin, down and injured in the eastbound lanes of East Broad Street," a statement from Richmond Police read. "The driver of the vehicle that struck Martin remained at the scene. Martin was transported to a local hospital with injuries that were considered life-threatening. [Sunday] he succumbed to his injuries."
The Richmond Police Crash Team investigation revealed the driver made a left turn from North 10th Street onto the eastbound lanes of East Broad Street and struck Martin while he was in the crosswalk. Charges against the driver are pending.
Richmond Mayor Danny Avula said he was heartbroken over the loss of his dear friend.
"Bill was a Richmond icon, an historian who worked tirelessly to tell Richmond’s stories in new and lasting ways, with a particular passion for telling the fullness of our City’s complex history, but always pointing us forward," Avula said. "Bill's passing is a tremendous loss for our community. I will miss him dearly, and I take comfort in the enduring legacy he leaves behind in the city he so thoughtfully served."
"He was a deeply respected leader, colleague and friend," Valentine Acting Director Meg Hughes said in a statement.
Martin was a fixture in the community and was named Richmonder of the Year by Style Weekly in 2024.
"Friendly, funny, sharp and always nattily dressed, Martin has devoted himself to the Valentine for three decades, saving the museum from financial ruin, then revising and reshaping it to become an esteemed institution that both reflects Richmond and continuously pushes it forward," Style journalist Rich Griset wrote about Martin's selection as Richmonder of the Year. "Under his direction, the Valentine has held community conversations, created exhibitions — including one that unpacks Lost Cause ideology and Richmond’s place in creating it — and fostered public dialogue to shepherd the River City to a better tomorrow."
Watch: Bill Martin talks about Richmond's Confederate monuments going to California
The article stated Martin grew up in Culpeper County, Virginia and graduated from Virginia Tech.
After several post-graduate jobs, he became the director of museums and tourism in Petersburg in 1987.
In 1994, he started his career at the Valentine where he rose to eventually become director.
"His dedication to sharing Richmond’s stories has left an indelible impact on the Valentine and the greater community," the statement from Meg Hughes continued. "The Valentine’s Board of Trustees and leadership team are working closely to ensure continuity of the museum’s work."
Email your memories of Bill Martin to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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