In June 2005, John Walton, son of Walmart founder Sam Walton and a decorated American war veteran, died tragically when his small, homemade plane crashed just after takeoff. The weather was perfect for flying that day, but Walton, 58, was discovered dead shortly after taking off from Jackson Hole Airport, in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.
Walton had been flying a prototype ultralight aircraft when it crashed. The plane was an ultralight aircraft, with wings that were wrapped in a material that resembled heavy-duty sailcloth and that used a small gasoline engine. The reason for the crash was unclear, and park rangers launched an investigation into the accident.
“We’re saddened that John Walton, a familiar and popular name in this valley, died doing something he loved to do, which was flying airplanes,” said Joan Anzelmo, a representative of Grand Teton National Park.
Jay Allen, Walmart’s senior vice president of corporate affairs, was somber, telling The Morning News of Springdale in an interview, “I think all you can say is he was just a good man and today, you grieve.”
About John Walton
When Walton died, he was ranked by Forbes magazine as the 11th richest person in the world, in a tie with his brother Jim Walton. He had an estimated net worth of $18.2 billion, mostly from his shareholding in the retail giant started by his father in 1962 that became the largest corporation in the world, and owning UK chain Asda.
Unlike most inheritors of huge fortunes, John Walton forged his own individual path in life. He went to a public high school where he excelled as a football star and dropped out of Ohio College at the age of 19 to join the U.S. Army’s special forces Green Berets during the Vietnam War.
“I did not imagine they realized, but there was a great many talking about war in the dorm rooms,” he once mused in an interview.
Medic and Commando
Walton was both a medic and commando during the immediate aftermath of the Tet Offensive, receiving the Silver Star for valor in saving several members of his unit from combat with North Vietnamese troops. Post-war, he went into boatbuilding, starting a business that specialized in building sailing boats.
After his father’s death in 1992, Walton was added to the Walmart board, where he continued to influence the legacy of the retail giant. Outside of business, he was a committed philanthropist who had a particular interest in education reform. He was an advocate of school voucher programs and was an advocate for programs that enabled low-income students to attend private schools.
In 1998, he also co-founded the Children’s Scholarship Fund, which assisted families in being able to pay for private school. The fund, with an initial donation of $67 million from the Walton Family Foundation, has since given aid to more than 67,000 children.
John Walton’s existence combined military valor, business acumen, and a dedication to social causes—hence, his passing being greatly felt not just among his own family and the employees of Walmart but throughout the entire country.
