MENOMINEE — Beta Sigma Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International has chosen Martha Jane Bruemmer of Menominee, as their Woman of Distinction for 2020.

“Jane” was given a keepsake personalized binder containing numerous written tributes and congratulatory letters from DKG members, members of her family, friends, co-workers, former students, and others whose life she has impacted. It also contained newspaper articles, and an audio file interview of her mentor, renowned astrophysicist, Dr. Arthur Adel, which her son Mark secured for her. Bruemmer also was gifted with a watercolor painting of her view of the bay from her cabin. Her son Eric helped coordinate this with the artist, Karen Peterson, who is also a friend to Bruemmer and her family.

Bruemmer was initiated into Delta Kappa Gamma in 1985, and after retiring in Missouri and moving to Menominee, she transferred to Beta Sigma Chapter. She served on the finance, scholarship committees, and as chairperson for the World Fellowship Committee.

Bruemmer was originally from Gadsden, Ariz. She was a gifted mathematics student who, due to advanced progress, skipped a grade in elementary school. At age 15, she was working for the U.S. military, calculating rocket trajectories at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground which was near her home. At age 16, she graduated co-valedictorian from Yuma High School.

Jane went on to receive her B.S. degree in mathematics and physics from Northern Arizona University, and her M.A. degree in physics from the University of Michigan. At NAU, Bruemmer took classes from renowned astrophysicist, Dr. Arthur Adel, and became his lab assistant. He influenced her decision to pursue her advanced degree in physics from University of Michigan. Her first job as an instructor was teaching physics at NAU for Dr. Adel while he was experiencing health issues.

Bruemmer’s publication of her research work is entitled: “Polarization of Infrared Radiation by Reflection from Germanium Surfaces,” Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol. 49, No. 9, 860-61, September, 1959 by Martha J. Bruemmer and D.F. Edwards.

While attending the University of Michigan, Bruemmer met her husband, Jon Bruemmer, a U of M mathematics graduate from Menominee. After their marriage, they both worked for government aerospace contractors in Seattle, Wash. Jon accepted a job with IBM so they moved to Hyde Park, N.Y., while Bruemmer worked as a junior high math teacher at Poughkeepsie Day School Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Later, Jon accepted a job in Caracas, Venezuela with Shell Oil, and Bruemmer taught math and physics for grades 9-12 at Colegio Americano in Caracas. The family left Venezuela and moved to Kansas City, Mo., where Jon worked for TWA . For 20 years, Bruemmer was a math and computer science teacher for grades 8-12 at Park Hill School District, Kansas City, Mo.

Some of Bruemmer’s awards and projects while she was teaching in Missouri include:

1) Incentive Grant, State of Missouri, Project Informatics, 1987. She participated jointly with a media specialist and a forensic teacher to investigate online database searches

2) Park Hill School District Grant, Build-A-Robot. Bruemmer participated in a joint project of computer science and industrial arts departments.

3) MAST, NASA Summer Institute for Mathematics and Science Teachers. Two teachers from each state were chosen to attend a two week seminar at the Huntsville Space Center in Huntsville, Ala. Bruemmer was one of the two teachers chosen for Missouri.

4) Bruemmer supervised a beta-site cooperating with Carnegie Mellon Institute testing computer programs and educational materials for teaching AP Computer Science. Her classes were the first to have Apple II computers. She is referenced in the 1996 National Educational Computing Conference for her contributions to the MacGNOME group at Carnegie Mellon in which they evaluated the application of computers in “Virtual Classrooms.”

Bruemmer and Jon raised three very accomplished sons: Mark of Georgia, Eric of Oregon, and Jay of Wyoming. Bruemmer was widowed in 2013 after 55 years of marriage to Jon.