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As our dear friend Dave Lynn blogged a few days ago, Marty Dunn passed away earlier this week. Marty Dunn. Wow. Where do I start? Smart as a whip. Memory like an elephant. That smile. That broad sweeping smile.

Marty started at the SEC a few weeks before me, soon after we both graduated from law school. He quickly moved up the ranks, landing in Corp Fin’s Office of Chief Counsel at a time when that office handled most of the Division’s high-profile matters. Over his long tenure there, Marty not only wrote the bulk of the rulemakings, the interpretations, emanating out of Corp Fin – he mentored generations of top-notch securities lawyers. Everyone loved Marty.

Not only was Marty so wonderful with people, he was also a phenomenal public speaker. The best. I always marveled at his ability to casually address any topic, making it seem off-the-cuff. You could always count on Marty to provide a bounty of humor during his remarks. A rare commodity in our profession.

As will happen when someone passes on, you think back to how they impacted your life. Marty bailed me out when I was at my lowest. I had escaped law firm life and tried an entrepreneurial thing that didn’t pan out. I had two young kids & a wife at home. So I called Marty to inquire about coming back to the SEC – something not easy to do, particularly because I had broken my informal three-year commitment my first time around. There was a pause on the line. Then he simply said “fax me your resume.” Before you know it, I was back in Corp Fin.

My heart goes out to Linda and his three daughters in College Park, Maryland, where Marty lived most of his life, always near his family & his friends. Love ya brother.