Martin, Ron
Ron Martin, a former longtime editor of the Atlanta Journal and Atlanta Constitution who oversaw the merger of those newspapers after he edited USA Today, died Saturday, according to his family.
Martin, 84, shepherded the merged Atlanta Journal-Constitution into the age of the internet while overseeing the kind of traditional journalism that he felt readers wanted, doggedly pursuing stories such as the unfolding scandal at City Hall that ultimately led to the conviction of then Mayor Bill Campbell for tax evasion.
"I hired him and it was the best hire ever," said Jay Smith, who was the publisher of the two Atlanta newspapers when he hired Martin to run them in the late 1980s.
Martin was USA Today's first executive editor and was among the editors involved in shaping the national newspaper when it first published in 1982.
Martin was living in Atlantic Beach, Florida. He died of natural causes.
In addition to his daughter, Ron Martin is survived by his wife, Marchant; daughter Jen, son Tom; stepdaughters Marchie Surface and Mobley Bowman; and three grandchildren.
Read more about Ron Martin on ajc.com
