[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 104 (Wednesday, July 27, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S9154]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JOHN WALTON

 Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to 
Mr. John Walton, 58, an Arkansas native and Wal-Mart heir who on June 
28, was killed when his aircraft crashed on landing outside of Jackson, 
WY.
  John lived a varied and interesting life. John was born on October 8, 
1946, the second oldest son of Sam and Helen Walton of Bentonville, AR. 
He attended high school in Bentonville and began his undergraduate 
studies at the College of Wooster in Wooster, OH.
  As a young college student during the Vietnam era, John enlisted in 
the Army and volunteered for combat as a medic with the Green Berets. 
During his time in Vietnam, he was often in firefights with the enemy 
and performed heroically as a part of his special operations unit. He 
was awarded the Silver Star for saving the lives of several members of 
his unit while under enemy fire.
  After returning from Vietnam, John pursued a variety of interests, 
including working as a crop duster in the 1970s and building boats in 
the 1980s. He had a passion for all things mechanical and was an avid 
motorcyclist and pilot.
  More recently, John took a great interest in education. He took $67 
million of Walton Foundation money and founded the Children's 
Scholarship Fund. Scholarships from the fund have benefitted 67,000 
children. He, along with his family, also made the largest contribution 
to a public college when they gave a $300 million gift to the 
University of Arkansas.
  Our condolences and prayers go out to John's wife Christy of Jackson 
Hole, WY; to his son, Luke, and to his mother Helen; as well as to his 
siblings Rob, Jim, and Alice.
  John's life exhibited his commitment to his country in so many ways. 
He defended his country on the battlefields of Vietnam and he invested 
in his country by funding a better education for thousands of children. 
I am sure the entire Senate will join with me to honor the life of John 
Walton.

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