Indiana's Lost Olympian--Orval Martin Orval Martin was the second of ten children born to Edith and Preston "Dick" Martin near Ferndale, Indiana, (just east of Rockville in Parke County) and attended Bellmore High School. He would win the mile at the 1926 IHSAA state finals and place second in the National Interscholastic Meet. Martin's years at Purdue would produce nine Big Ten championships. He won the 880-yard run indoors in 1928 and 1930 and outdoors in 1929. He also won the mile indoors in 1929 and 1930 and outdoors in 1928, 1929 and 1930. He also won the cross country championship in 1929. During that time, Orval also won five Indiana Intercollegiate championships. Record-setting times were established by Martin at the Drake Relays in the two-mile run and the 1500-meter run, as well as in the 1000-yard run at the Illinois Relays. Orval won the half mile at the 1930 NCAA Championships at Stagg Field in Chicago in record time (1:54.2), his greatest thrill since it was set in his last collegiate meet. As a result of these performances, Martin earned Purdue's first All-American honors.