(Le Mars) — This year’s Le Mars Community Distinguished Alumni is Alan Marty, a 1974 graduate. Marty was notified of the honor nearly a week ago by Carolyn Vance of the Le Mars Community School Alumni Association. Marty says he was
surprised by the honor. He now resides in the Silicon Valley of California, but he fondly remembers his time attending Le Mars Community, and still refers to himself as an Iowan.
Since leaving Le Mars, Marty has had an unique and interesting career. The physicist says his math and physics instructor, Mr. Glendon Petersen played a major role and was a great influence on his life, and he recalls seeing for the first time a calculator used for mathematical equations.
Marty has worked with the Hewitt-Packard computer company, as well as the government’s space program NASA.
Marty continues to talk about Space X and the Elan Musk connection.
Marty holds two Masters degrees from Sanford University, and he was able to put his knowledge to use by creating several inventions and hold a number of patents, including a computer program and practice device that has helped basketball players improve their shooting percentage, and has since been used
and endorsed by several NBA and major college basketball teams. The program and company is referred to as Noah, as in the famous biblical story of Noah and the arc, and you need a perfect arc when shooting a basketball.
Marty says just recently, Nick Nurse, the coach of the year and coach of the NBA Champions Toronto Raptors, and a former coach of the University of Northern Iowa and who has ties to northwest Iowa, joined the board of directors of the Noah Basketball company. The Le Mars Distinguished Alum
tells about the basketball device.
Alan Marty explains how the name Noah came about in reference to the basketball assistance device.
Marty says his first patent for the Noah basketball device was created at around 2001 right here in Le Mars at his parent’s kitchen table.
Marty still is involved with the Noah Basketball Company, but he has also branched out to another company called “Legacy Venture.”
Marty says the investments have been used by over 5,000 companies as well as non-profit organizations, and last year it contributed more than $400 million dollars. Our congratulations go to Alan Marty, Class of 1974 from Le Mars Community, and who has been selected as this year’s Distinguished Alum.
(photo contributed.)
