Martin Oliver "Mo" Waldron (February 2, 1925 – May 27, 1981) was an American newspaper reporter. His 1963 series of articles in the ''

St. Petersburg Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', called the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It is published by the Times Publishing Company, which is owned by The Poynter Institute f ...

'' exposed the state's "reckless, unchecked spending" on the construction of the

Sunshine State Parkway Florida's Turnpike, designated as unsigned State Road 91 (SR 91), is a controlled-access toll road in the U.S. state of Florida, maintained by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). Spanning approximately along a northwest–southeast axis, the ...

, and was recognized with the

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

Pulitzer Prize for Public Service The Pulitzer Prize for Public Service is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes annually awarded for journalism. It recognizes a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journali ...

. At his death he was the bureau chief for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

, the state capital.

Early life and education

Waldron was born on February 2, 1925, in

Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana Calcasieu Parish (; ) is a parish located on the southwestern border of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 216,785. The parish seat and largest city is Lake Charles. Calcasieu Parish is part of the Lake C ...

, and grew up there. He attended

Middle Georgia College Middle Georgia College (MGC) was a four-year state college unit of the University System of Georgia, United States. On January 8, 2013, it was consolidated with Macon State College into a new institution, which is now known as Middle Georgia Stat ...

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...

and Atlanta Law School, and was awarded his undergraduate degree from

Birmingham–Southern College Birmingham–Southern College (BSC) was a private liberal arts college in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 1856, the college was affiliated with the United Methodist Church and was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SA ...

."Martin O. Waldron is Dead at 56: Reporting led to a Pulitzer Prize"
''

'', May 28, 1981. Accessed July 13, 2010.

Career

He worked as a reporter at ''

The Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merge ...

,'' ''Birmingham Age-Herald'' / ''

Birmingham Post-Herald The ''Birmingham Post-Herald'' was a daily newspaper in Birmingham, Alabama, with roots dating back to 1850, before the founding of Birmingham. The final edition was published on September 23, 2005. In its last full year, its average daily circu ...

,'' and ''

The Tampa Tribune ''The Tampa Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Tampa, Florida. Along with the competing ''Tampa Bay Times'', the ''Tampa Tribune'' was one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area. The newspaper also published a ''St. P ...

,'' gradually shifting to a focus on investigative reporting. Waldron was with the ''St. Petersburg Times'' in 1963, when he wrote a series of articles (a total of 150,000 words) as part of the newspaper's coverage of unchecked spending by the Florida Turnpike Authority (FTA). The FTA caused an estimated quadrupling of the cost of the Sunshine State Parkway to taxpayers, from initial estimates of $100 million. Waldron received a tip about excessive spending by FTA Chairman John Hammer, including allegations that he had paid for expensive hotels and meals, and corsages for his secretary, as well as overcharges for a chartered plane. As part of his efforts to see how much it would take to spend $30 on a meal in 1963 —at a time when two people could dine opulently for $15— Waldron and a colleague went to an expensive Miami restaurant. They ordered Caesar salads, sirloin steaks, desserts and two brandies, and hit their $30 target by paying for the glasses the brandy came in and adding a $5 tip. His coverage earned the newspaper the

in 1964, its first Pulitzer. It resulted in changes in the way the state of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

managed highway construction projects. Waldron moved to ''

'' in 1966, becoming the paper's bureau chief in

, the state capital. His final reporting for the paper was about the development of casinos in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, and their relationships with local municipal government.

Arthur Gelb Arthur Gelb (February 3, 1924 – May 20, 2014) was an American editor, author and executive and was the managing editor of ''The New York Times'' from 1986 to 1989. Early life and education Gelb was born to two Jewish immigrants from what was ...

, then deputy managing editor for ''The Times,'' recalled that "if Mo Waldron was in town there would be a party somewhere and everybody from the mayor down would be there".Evans, Dorothy; and Kosharsky, Romaine
"Martin Waldron, reporter whose stories won Pulitzer for Times"
''

'', May 28, 1981. Accessed July 13, 2010. Waldron died at age 56 on May 27, 1981, at his home in

Hightstown, New Jersey Hightstown is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Nestled within the Raritan River, Raritan Valley region, Hightstown is an historic, commercial, and cultural hub of Cent ...

, due to

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina pectoris, angina, myocardial infarction, heart attack), heart failure, ...

. He was survived by his wife, author Ann Waldron, as well as a daughter and three sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waldron, Martin O. 1925 births 1981 deaths American male journalists The New York Times journalists Birmingham–Southern College alumni People from Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana People from Hightstown, New Jersey 20th-century American non-fiction writers Journalists from Alabama 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American journalists