Posted on 06/27/2005 7:54:07 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Wal-Mart billionaire John Walton dies in plane crash
55 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) - John Walton, a billionaire heir of retail giant Wal-Mart, died when the small home-made plane he was flying crashed in a national park in Wyoming, authorities said.
Walton's plane crashed at 12:20 pm local time (1820 GMT) shortly after taking off from Jackson Hole Airport in Grand Teton National Park, the National Park Service said in a statement. The cause of the accident was not immediately known.
"Walton, the pilot and sole occupant of the aircraft, died on impact and was later pronounced dead at the scene by Teton County Coroner, Bob Campbell," the statement said.
A park spokeswoman said Walton, 58, was an experienced pilot who was flying a home-made aircraft with an aluminum frame and wings wrapped in fabric similar to heavy-duty sail cloth.
"This was an experimental, very lightweight aircraft," the spokeswoman, Joan Anzelmo, told AFP. It weighed between 400 and 500 pounds (180 to 225 kilograms), she said.
The Park Service's statement described it as an "ultralight aircraft with a small, gas-powered engine."
Weather conditions were good at the time of the crash, Anzelmo said.
Walton, the second son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, was the world's 11th richest person with a net worth exceeding 18 billion dollars, according to Forbes magazine.
He had been a member of Wal-Mart's board of directors since 1992 and lived in Jackson, Wyoming, a town known as a resort for wealthy Americans.
In a statement, Wal-Mart expressed sorrow over his death and described Walton as a Vietnam War hero and philanthropist.
"As a board member of the Walton Family Foundation, Walton played a leading role in guiding the Foundations contributions to elementary and high school education, including scholarship programs to provide parents with greater choice in education," it said.
Walton served as a medic in the US Army Green Berets during the Vietnam War and was awarded the Silver Star "for saving the lives of several members of his unit while under intense enemy fire," the company said.
He worked as a crop duster in the 1970s and as a boat builder in 1980s and 1990s.
Walton formed the holding company True North, which includes businesses ranging from advanced composites to boat building to venture capital investments, Wal-Mart said.
He is survived by his wife Christy and their son, Luke; his mother Helen; and his siblings Rob, Jim and Alice.
Wal-Mart employs more than 1.5 million people around the world, with more than 3,600 stores in the United States and another 1,500 abroad, including China, South Korea, Germany, Brazil and Britain.
Same kind of X plane that killed John Denver?
Liberals rejoice.
A man's man. Prayers for the Walton Family.
re: John Denver
No
"Liberals rejoice."
My initial reaction, exactly. (I am very sorry, though, to hear the nears. Condolences to his family.)
Agreed.
The man had some serious dust to be fooling around in an ultralight.
I've seen some that you couldn't pay me to fly.
Here's the link. R.I.P. Mr. Walton.
dittos. May those of his squadmates who crossed over before him now welcome him into heaven with open arms and an American warrior's embrace.
Apparently so do a few "conservatives" judging by some posts I scanned through elsewhere.
Link to another post with amazing detail on this hero.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1431891/posts?page=255#255
wow. A True War Hero.
Is anyone thinking suicide? That was the first thing I thought of.
All that and a war hero to boot.
May he find eternal peace...
Semper Fi
I read his bio earlier. A true hero. He was also an enemy of the left because he gave millions for school choice programs to help minorities get out from those dumbed down liberal democrat run schools.
No! Why would you?
And, sad to say, so do a lot of FReepers.
Charitable man as well.
I knew very little about him before his death. Learning of his life, the extent of the loss builds. Fine man, must be very hard for his family.
Shame people buy into the sterotypes about these people because they are successful, yet know next to nothing about the real sum of the man or woman to make a sound judgement.
Thank you.
May he rest in Peace.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.