Paul Martin

Paul Ross Martin was born in 1932 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to Amanda Minnich Martin. His father, Paul Rupp Martin, died months before he was born in the midst of the Depression. At a young age he delivered newspapers to help support his mother and sister, Betty. He became editor of his high school and later college (Dartmouth) newspapers. He graduated with a degree in English literature in 1954. He sang in the Dartmouth Glee Club and was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

In 1960 while a Lancaster New Era reporter he was hired as a Wall Street Journal copy editor and moved his young family to St. George. He worked there for 54 years and retired as the assistant managing editor. He commuted to work in lower Manhattan on the Staten Island Ferry, reading the newspaper, coffee in hand.

Martin was a huge basketball fan. Though he wasn’t allowed to play on a team for medical reasons, he assisted as a manager on his high school and college teams. He was a familiar figure in the stands when his children played, quietly keeping statistics in a reporter’s notebook.

Besides his offspring, his proudest legacy may have been his moniker “The Great Hyphenator,” bestowed in 1993 by the NY Times’ William Safire in a column about Martin where Safire took gentle issue with his love of hyphens in compound modifiers. Martin’s WSJ obituary says, “The Journal's hyphen-happy style continues to this day.” As assistant managing editor, he was the news department’s ombudsman and a final reader for major Journal stories. In 2000, Martin was recognized by the New York Financial Writers’ Association for his long-term contribution to financial journalism

He loved the Jersey Shore, particularly a tiny stretch called Ocean Beach, where the family vacationed every June for the last 40 years. He was married to Staten Island Advance reporter Julia I. Martin from 1954-1980. He later met Roberta Gardner; the couple shared a love of puns, cultural events, and NY Times crossword puzzles. Gardner died in 2020.

Martin was known for his perennially-pleasant and considerate nature. Though he could speak on any subject and had a keen sense of humor, he was ever the engaged listener.

Martin is survived by his 6 children, Monica Martin Goble (Jim), Julia Martin, Paul Martin Jr., Barbara Martin (Dave), Drew Martin and Eric Martin (Martha); 11 grandchildren, Anna and David Maj, Jamie (Hannah) and Graham Goble; Tess, Amanda and Rory Langan; Brodie, Jacquelyn and Hannah Martin, Daniel Martin, and 2 great-grandchildren, Sophia and Joanna Goble.

A memorial service will be held Sat., Jan. 29, at 10 a.m. at Harmon Funeral Home on Staten Island. Visitation will be Friday, Jan. 29, from 7 to 9 p.m. and from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, before the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to BeyondDifferences.org, founded by Laura Talmus, which works to reduce social isolation in middle-schoolers.