By Steve Neavling
Family members of FBI Special Agent Martha Dixon-Martinez, who was killed during a shooting rampage in November 1994, stopped at the bureau’s Pittsburgh Field Office last week as part of an annual 330-mile bike ride in her honor.
“Martha’s Ride” began on March 8 in Washington D.C., where she was shot, and ended at the field office on Friday.
“We all walk into this building named after Ms. Dixon every day and remember the sacrifice she made,” Mike Nordwall, special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh Field Office, said in a statement. “We are thankful to her family for continuing to honor her legacy.”
The ride raises money for the Martha Fund, which has built playgrounds in the Pittsburgh area for more than 20 years.
“Martha’s Ride honors the enduring legacy of a true American hero,” said Kevin Dixon, Martha Dixon’s brother. “Martha was unfortunately called upon to make the supreme sacrifice for her fellow Americans. Aside from a devoted agent, she was known for her love of her young nieces and nephews and for athletics. To keep her memory alive, the Martha Fund conducts the ‘Martha’s Ride,’ as well as a run in her name each spring as an homage to her athleticism. It also honors her love for kids by helping build playgrounds in the Pittsburgh area.”
On Nov. 22, 1994, a gunman opened fire inside the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Department, killing Dixon-Martinez, FBI agent Michael John Miller and Metro Police Sgt. Henry Daly.
Before joining the FBI, Dixon-Martinez received a degree in biology from the University of Pittsburgh. Several years later, she began her career with the FBI in Knoxville where she became the first female agent in the field office to be certified as a SWAT team member.
In November 2001, the Pittsburgh Field Office was later named in honor of Dixon.
