Anniversary of Arizona Republic Reporter Don Bolles' Death

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Anniversary of Arizona Republic Reporter Don Bolles' Death

Posted By Mari Herreras on Thu, Jun 13, 2013 at 5:21 PM

Thirty-seven years ago today, June 13, 1976, Arizona Republic investigative reporter extraordinaire Don Bolles died, 11 days after a bomb exploded beneath his car.

From the Republic today:

In 1962, Don Bolles landed a job as a reporter at The Arizona Republic and immediately began making a name for himself. He probed the influence of the mafia on Arizona dog and horse racing, uncovered bribery and kickbacks on the state tax and corporation commissions, investigated a conflict-of-interest scandal involving two state legislators and exposed swindles involving the sale of Arizona land to people across the country. In 1974, he was named Arizona Press Club Newsman of the Year.

Bolles is one of only a handful of American journalists who have been attacked and killed in this country in retaliation for their work. His death prompted the first and only investigation by journalists coming together from all over the country in a single show of support and unity.

Tags: Don Bolles , Arizona Republic , broke the mold