The weather was ideal for flying when John Walton, the son of Walmart founder, hopped into his small homemade aircraft in June 2005.
Unfortunately, the world’s 11th richest man was found dead shortly after taking off his flight from Jackson Hole Airport in Grand Teton National Park.
While the cause of death remained unknown, Park rangers launched an inquiry into the tragedy. “We’re sad that John Walton, who was well known and much loved in this valley, died doing something that he loved to do, which was fly aircraft,” stated Grand Teton National Park representative Joan Anzelmo.
According to officials, the aircraft he was piloting when he died was a prototype ultralight plane with wings covered in fabric resembling heavy-duty sail material and a tiny, gasoline-powered motor.
Jay Allen, senior VP of corporate affairs at Walmart, told The Morning News of Springdale, “I think all you can say is he was just a good man and today, you grieve.”
As one of Walmart’s board members and the middle of three sons of the founder of the company, Walton was a strong supporter of school vouchers and initiatives to provide means for pupils to attend private schools.
In 1998, Walton established the Children’s Scholarship Fund to assist families with limited incomes with the funds they need to send their kids to private schools. With an initial investment of $67 million from the Walton Family Foundation, the foundation helped over 67,000 kids.
According to Forbes magazine, Walton, 58, left behind a fortune of $18.2 billion. which includes his stake in the retail chain that was established by his dad, Sam Walton, in 1962 and has since expanded to become the largest corporation in the world, including Asda in the UK.
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All you need to know about John Walton
Walton’s lifestyle was distinct from the ordinary path of a scion of a wealthy dynasty. He was a standout football player at a public, state-funded school. At the age of 19, he left Ohio College in a bid to serve in Vietnam with the US Army’s special forces organization, the Green Berets.
In one of his interviews, he stated, “I didn’t think they understood it, but there were a lot of people talking about the war in the dorm rooms.”
He served as a commando and medic immediately after the Tet offensive and received the Silver Star award for rescuing multiple members of his squad during a combat with North Vietnamese soldiers.
Later, he also launched a sailing boat construction business. He, however, joined the Walmart board after his father’s passing in 1992.
According to Forbes’ March list of the world’s 20 richest individuals, Walton was tied with his brother Jim for eleventh spot.
