Contributions to the tribute of Martin Otto Heisler

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Monday, April 5, 2021

Dear Heisler Family, my heart broke this morning when I learned from Didier Bigo that Martin passed. My sincere condolences. I came to know Martin a couple of years ago at ISA and was enchanted by his generosity, wisdom and intelligence. He has had an enormous influence on my thinking and I have often wished I could discuss world politics with him over the past years. My heart goes out to you.

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Carola Weil posted a condolence

Sunday, March 7, 2021

Dear Barbara and Heisler Family, I was devastated to learn of Marty's passing. Marty not only was a wonderful mentor and professor during my doctoral studies at UMCP, but also a friend. He was such a compassionate advocate for the rights of migrants and refugees. He genuinely cared about his students as human beings. He made political science come to life, to be humanized for me and so many others. I shall miss running into him at conferences - often surrounded by current and former students- and picking up a conversation as if no time had passed. May he rest in peace! My deepest sympathies to you! Carola Weil (McGill University, Montreal)

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John Occhpinti posted a condolence

Friday, March 5, 2021

I offer my most sincere sympathies to Martin’s family, especially Barbara. Martin was my dissertation chair at Maryland in the mid-1990s. From the start, he was always gracious and kind to me as a professor. I worked as his assistant for few years in those days… he saw to it that I made it to Berlin for my field research and completed my PhD. Meeting him was an important step for me in becoming a professor myself. He and Barbara welcomed me into their homes in DC and Frederick more than once. I enjoyed seeing him at conferences and catching up… by then, we were friends and colleagues, I suppose… one of the blessings of social media was reconnecting with him via Facebook in recent years. I respected him for his passion and success as an academic – but also as a person. He has left a lasting legacy in the lives and careers of many students. I was very sad to hear of his passing – I am sure he fought his illness as best as anyone could – because he loved life. Thank you for everything you did for me, Martin.

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Evan Coren posted a condolence

Sunday, February 28, 2021

As a naively bold first semester sophomore I returned to Martin’s 400-level Comparative Studies in European Government and Politics course for the second day of the semester after Martin had used an intense workload to scare every student in the oversubscribed class to drop the course other than myself, two grad students, and an equally bold and much less naive upperclassman. Within weeks I would discover that Martin was a complete softy at heart willing to put in endless hours prompting even the most early in their intellectual development students to explore new ways to look at and think about ideas. Over the course of nearly a quarter century Martin’s questions, suggestions, casual comments in our conversations, and actions prompted me to think/shaped how I examine information/inspired me in converting ideas into activism to work to make the world a better place. Some of Martin’s actions were brilliantly selfless, such as when I asked him if I could be his research assistant as I looked to earn a little extra money. He instantly said yes and instead of him looking for something that would benefit his research asked me to develop a spreadsheet of current population for each country in the world and place the list in order by population size...this was in the days before such things were easily found on Wikipedia. Doing the list I realized years afterwards that this was a way for him to get me to look at the world in a different context than I had up until that point. Upon graduation he gave me a beautifully cork bound journal with a note that all observations are data. Throughout it all and through our conversations over the years I would suddenly find myself looking back with the realization that something he said or did had prompted a light bulb to go on in my head. And it wasn’t just ideas, his actions and how he chose to live his life and interact with others and the world have been my personal aspiration that I strive to live up to. He lived a life of ideas leading to action. Of not just thinking and writing for their own sake, but as an inseparable aspect of action. That we never should rest with a world as it is, but in each our part, imbedded in everyday actions, make the world the best we can, including in particular how we treat others. All Martin asked was if he was going to invest in you that you would invest in yourself by thinking and putting in the hard work.

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John Dougherty lit a candle

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Martin was a valued friend, colleague,and fellow Thirster. He added much expertise and enthusiasm to Thirster meetings, and his presentations and seminars were esteemed. I appreciated his contribution of knowledge, measured opinion, and lived experience to our Thirster meeting discussions, and to our personal conversations. I treasure the pickle ball games with Martin and Barbara, and also the deep and wide-ranging lunchtime conversations (while masked because of COVID) that he and I had on the shaded Heisler patio during the warmer months of 2020. It was a joy to gradually get to know him and Barbara as friends. I feel sad and a deep sense of loss because of Martin's death. To those lived with and loved Martin, my heart-felt condolences. John Dougherty

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Charles R. Cotter posted a condolence

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Our heartfelt condolences to the Heisler family. Martin overcame many struggles of his generation, made meaningful contributions and left the world a better place. Life’s coincidences had our families meet at different points. He and my parents knew each other professionally as Political Science Professors. We were fortunate to meet and become close with his daughter and family. I always enjoyed talking with Martin. Much love from the Cotter and Brown family.

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Diana Heisler uploaded photo(s)

Wednesday, February 17, 2021