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Once upon a time, an earnest young man with scholarly and athletic inclinations came rolling out of the South Jersey farmlands to join the Class of ’55 on the Plain at West Point. Named <em>Frank George Walton</em> by his parents, George and Helen Walton, he preferred the childhood nickname of “Pete.” Classmates and friends have known him as such ever since.</p>
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Pete’s sense of history and sense of humor were always intertwined. He enjoyed recounting that his birthday was the date that President Roosevelt closed the nation’s banks, ending a panic and signifying Pete’s early impact on the nation. Born in Trenton, NJ, he moved with his parents and younger brother Joe to a farm near Haddonfield. Pete joined the New Jersey National Guard to qualify as a competitor for the West Point entrance exam, which he did by leading all Guard competitors. He thus began a four-year struggle to comply with the rigorous requirements of West Point while observing its contradictions with wry humor.</p>
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A precious souvenir of Pete’s Haddonfield days was his acquaintance with a schoolmate, Ruthann Burnett. Their friendship became a marriage beginning in the Catholic Chapel at West Point a few days after graduation and ending only with his death.</p>
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Alternating between varsity football and track and field, Pete found outlets and challenges that enriched the otherwise somber gray quadrennial. His appreciation for literature and history emerged during First Class year and continued for the rest of his life, serving him well in Army, business, and retirement endeavors.</p>
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Pete’s military career reads like a travelogue of the Army’s leadership opportunities, serving as company commander of infantry units in Korea and Ft. Lewis, yet he managed to play and excel on service all-star football teams. During two tours in Viet Nam, Pete served as senior advisor to the RVN 4th Infantry Regiment, and subsequently, as commander of the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. Uniquely and with great elan, Pete consecutively commanded a brigade and then the support brigade command of the 24th Infantry Division from 1977 until 1980. His executive officer in these latter assignments, D. Edward Rowe ’62, said Pete was “just about perfect—professional soldier, compassionate, firm, fair, intelligent, well read, tremendous enthusiasm, high energy, sense of humor, and always had time for people. He possessed and utilized, without effort or role-playing, all the qualities of a great leader. He made you always want to reach higher.”</p>
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Interspersed among those commands were interesting, varied, and challenging assignments, including executive officer to retired General Maxwell Taylor, who was then chairman of the Presidential Advisory Board; G-3 of the 8th Infantry Division; director of the Airborne School; and finally, director of military instruction at West Point, where Pete retired in 1983 after a distinguished 28-year career. He was a marvelous soldier and earned, among other awards, the Silver Star for gallantry, three Legions of Merit, the Bronze Star, and six Air Medals. Pete was a master parachutist and wore the cherished Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantry Badge, and the Ranger Tab.</p>
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After retiring from the Army, Pete enjoyed a highly successful ten-year business career with the aviation support firm, Butler Aviation. As a vice president and general manager, he ably directed Butler’s aircraft servicing activities, retiring in 1993 from his post at Reagan National Airport.</p>
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Pete’s inquisitive mind and literary interests flourished in educational environments. He earned a master’s degree in international relations and American government from the University of Pennsylvania, and after retiring from business, he enrolled as an undergraduate in political science at the University of Georgia. He was awarded his degree posthumously. He was also a favored instructor in the adult education series “Learning in Retirement.”</p>
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Pete’s three children adored him, and their fond memories of their dad and their lives in the Army could fill many pages. Each has commented about Pete’s remarkable intellect, his sensitivity to their needs as they grew and matured while moving often, and his high standards of ethics and integrity. All of the Walton kids remarked on Pete’s ability to inspire and evoke devotion from subordinates, colleagues, family members, and even the family pets. Turning frequent moves into adventures offset the hardships and sacrifices of service life. He took his family on trips through tombs and mosques in Turkey, volksmarches and museums in Germany, and monuments and battlegrounds in Western Europe. Pete’s thoroughly researched accounts of these landmarks made exciting, memorable visits.</p>
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As a child of the Great Depression who grew up during WWII, graduated from West Point (clutching a diploma handed him by President Eisenhower), and matured in the combat of the Viet Nam War, Pete demonstrated that personal accountability, a sense of ethics, responsibility to family, faith in God, hard work, and sacrifice are treasured, not obsolete, values. After a long illness, Pete eventually succumbed at his home in Watkinsville surrounded by his family.</p>
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Soldier, scholar, educator, business executive, loving husband, and caring father, Pete Walton left his mark on all of us who now mourn his passing. As Pete’s interment ceremony was concluding at West Point last September, a classmate with tears in his eyes turned and said to another, “You know, the really sad part of this is that he was such a great guy.” Yes, he was.</p>
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COL Frank Walton is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Ruthann; their three children: Anne Vance, COL Kathleen Carr, and Peter Walton; four grandchildren; and his brother, LTC (retired) Joseph Walton.</p>
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Be thou at peace.</p>
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<em>Family, a classmate, and a friend</em></p>