Waldon Pens Memoir, History Of Tenn-Tom

Don Waldon, the longtime administrator of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority, has released a personal memoir and history of the waterway titled “Journey To The River.” The book chronicles both the political and engineering challenges overcome to construct the waterway and Waldon’s own journey to the Tenn-Tom. After starting out with the Corps of Engineers, Waldon worked for the Bureau of the Budget (the precursor of the Office of Management and Budget) and the Department of the Interior before coming to the Tenn-Tom authority.

Waldon became administrator of the Tenn-Tom in 1984 with the primary task of overseeing the opening of the waterway.

“That was my first chore when I took over as administrator in 1984,” Waldon said. “It’s hard to believe it’s been 40 years ago.”

Waldon said there has been coverage in the past about the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, including the environmental lawsuits that sought to stop it and the political challenges to securing funding and authorization. He said what sets his account apart is the fact he was there.

“I witnessed a lot of that, and in some cases, I was involved in it,” he said.

Waldon said he wanted his book to be a way of honoring the people who championed the waterway.

“I thought I needed to write something to recognize the people who were in the right place at the right time to help the waterway overcome those hurdles,” he said. “I’ve done that in the book, but, regrettably, many of those people are deceased.”

There are tense moments in the book, like when Waldon was watching from the gallery in the Capitol as congressional leaders debated funding the waterway. There are also lighthearted episodes, like when Waldon met fried chicken magnate Al Copeland and how a young Waldon broke both arms when he fell from a homemade zip line.

Throughout, “Journey To The River” tells the story of one of the United States’ largest waterway projects and one of the people who worked to make it a reality.

The book, published by Nautilus Publishing Company, is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other bookstores. Waldon will be signing books June 4 at Friendly City Books in Columbus, Miss.