Tom Martinez was born in San Francisco, Colorado. Martinez’ family has resided in Colorado since before it’s statehood in the area of Garcia, formal "Los Manzaneres". His father was a teacher and would teach in a schoolhouse where his family would live in the back. Martinez later moved to Pueblo, Colorado when he was around the time he had entered the fifth grade.  Some of his earliest memories are of helping his grandmother gather eggs and retrieving water from the pump. Martinez’ father then left his teaching position and began to work at the local steel mill and after found a job at the Pueblo Army Depot until he retired.  

Martinez says, his ability to speak Spanish dwindled as his family moved to Pueblo. The only time he would use his native tongue would be with his grandmother his family and would speak English during school and outside of the home.   

When he entered Junior High, Martinez’ began to take an interest in music. He started by playing the trombone but later fell in love with the guitar. After high school, he formed a band “The Modern Rancheros”. While in college Martinez and his bandmates decided they wanted to try to make it big, with plans to go to New York City. After discussing with his wife, Martinez’ left his studies and him and his family (wife and daughter) moved to Kansas City in 1968. The band continued playing until they broke up and never made it to New York.  

In search of a job, Martinez found work in downtown Kansas City working for Hallmark as a die-cutter, making greeting cards. He later moved over from die-cutting to photography. He continued working for Hallmark for about 37 years before retiring in 2006. He soon found a passion for astronomy and joined the Astronomy Club of Kansas City in 1978. He now has a YouTube channel and photo blog that shows off his photography and timelapses.  

Recently, Martinez has also served as the Vice President of the Fray Angelico Chavez Chapter (FACC) of the Genealogy Society of Hispanic America (GSHA) in Pueblo, CO and as the past Vice President and President of the GSHA. He is now serving as the managing editor of “Nuestras Raices,” the quarterly journal of the Genealogy Society of Hispanic America. Tom has taught members of FACC how to DNA cousins.