I was a cub reporter for The Brown and White in the fall of 1975 when the Lehigh University service staff went on strike. Rumors swirled about poor working conditions, substandard pay, and possible unionization of the workforce.
Marty Baron was the managing editor of The Brown and White and the office was in the basement of the University Center. In the pre-electronic days, we published twice per week, and press nights were a whirlwind of typewriter chatter, deadlines and dynamic leadership from Marty Baron and Jeff Bloom, editor in chief.
I’ll always remember Jeff’s New York accent as he yelled across the room “Hey Maaaahty, get this!!!”
One press night, Marty took me aside. I was a freshman, and unknown on campus, so he wanted my roommate and me Mike Silverman,’79, to attend the union organizing meeting off campus. Our job was to go undercover and gather information about the strike. I don’t remember if we actually published an article about it, but I vividly remember Marty’s intensity and drive to search for the facts.
After winning his first Pulitzer Prize at the Boston Globe, Marty spoke at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, near where I now live, about breaking the story that later became the movie “Spotlight.”
John Coppolos, another Brown and White reporter from our day, and I attended his lecture, and afterward Marty greeted us effusively. “Cop and Glaze, just like the old days,” he said, and magically we felt like we were back at press night.
It’s great to see Marty wrap up his distinguished career. Congratulations Marty, and good luck to you in retirement.
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