Captain Alton L. "Red" Waldron, USN RET, age 93, died on Friday, September 2 in his apartment at Ginger Cove after a lingering illness.

His parents were Ludovica Sahb de Hierapolis and Louis Alton Waldron. His wife of sixty years, Katherine Joyce Waldron, pre-deceased him in 2001. They were married in June, 1941 in New York City and shared a happy life together.

Red grew up in New York City and attended CCNY prior to his appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1935. After his 1939 graduation, he was assigned to the USS Vincennes but was quickly transferred to the USS Hopkins. In 1941, the Hopkins was stationed at Pearl Harbor. Ordered out on maneuvers to Johnson Island on December 5, he returned to Pearl Harbor shortly after the attack. During WW II, he had engagements at Guadacanal, Bougainville, Munda and Enogai Inlet.

In 1944, he became the Commanding Officer of the USS Macomb, a minesweeper assigned to the Pacific. They engaged the enemy in Okinawa, were in Saipan for damage repair and eventually ended up in Sagami Wan, just outside of Tokyo Bay on August 27, 1945. On August 29, they swept the channel ahead of the USS Missouri and the MSS Iowa as they steamed into Tokyo Bay. On September 2, they witnessed the formal surrender on the Missouri from about 1000 yards away. Red was awarded the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit (combat star), Letter of Commendation and four campaign ribbons.

Other tours of duty included Long Beach Shipyard, a NATO program for shipyards in Lisbon, Portugal, the cruiser desk at the Bureau of Ships (Washington, DC) and Production Officer at the Brooklyn (NY) Navy Yard). From 1946 to 1949, he attended MIT, obtaining a degree in Naval Engineering. He also earned an MBA from George Washington University. He retired from the Navy in 1963 and went to work for Naval Ship Research and Development Center (NSRDC) until 1977.

Red was a lifetime learner, attending seminars at St. John's College for fifty years, with his long-time friend Capt. Robert F. Hunt, USN RET. He served on the Fairfield Nursing Home board, the Severn River Commission, the Good Government Committee, the Anne Arundel County Dept. of Aging Advisory Council and the Historic District Commission.

Most recently, he was active in Maryland Continuing Care Retirement Association, working tirelessly to adopt legislation and regulations to protect residents of continuing care retirement facilities. In June, 2011, he was awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the Maryland Dept. of Aging Award for his role in developing a grievance procedure for CCRCs which insures management must respond to residents concerns.

He is survived by his daughter, McShane W. Glover, who cared for him in his final days.
Burial services will be private. A memorial service will be held Wednesday October 5, 2011 In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Rude Ranch Animal Rescue, 3200 Ivy Way, Harwood, MD 20776.