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A Postscript

For the last two years of Dad’s life, he fought a difficult battle against a form of bone cancer, multiple myeloma, which, from the time of diagnosis, he understood would almost certainly prove fatal. Like every other challenge he encountered in his life, he met this one head-on, full of optimism and ready to try new ways of conquering the problem. So, with the encouragement of the whole family—and the meticulous hands-on medical care management of my brother John—Dad embarked on a variety of experimental treatment programs with a group of excellent doctors.

He took his medicine, but he never dwelled on either the illness that had befallen him or its potential cures. Rather, he seized the day. At the time of the diagnosis, in early 1990, he had been working, somewhat ambivalently, on an autobiography. He canceled that project, choosing instead to spend most of his time and energy doing what he enjoyed most: flying his plane from town to town, going from Wal-Mart to Wal-Mart, visiting with his beloved associates. Toward the end of 1991, when he began to realize that his illness was catching up with him and would soon limit his mobility, Dad—at the urging of our family and others —again turned his attention to the idea of putting his story down on paper while he still could. Once he decided to write it, he threw himself into this book project with the same focus and energy he applied to everything he did in life. He was very particular about what he wanted his book to be, and he worked at it daily, making revisions, adding anecdotes, refining style points, urging others to contribute their memories.

By early March, his spirits remained high as he continued work on the book, but his physical condition was worsening. Then he received one of the great surprises of his life. The White House wanted to present him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian award. President Bush and the First Lady would be traveling to Bentonville to present the medal to Dad, and he was thrilled by the honor. At such an occasion, of course, Dad could have invited anyone he wanted to attend the ceremony, but we hardly had to ask whom he wanted to be there with him: his Wal-Mart associates.

The award was presented on the morning of Tuesday, March 17, in the auditorium of the Wal-Mart general offices, where Dad had held forth on so many Saturday mornings. The room was filled with several hundred of his associates, and their affection for Dad on this special day was particularly moving. They really outdid themselves, and I think they may even have startled President and Mrs. Bush—not to mention the White House press corps—by giving one of the most enthusiastic Wal-Mart cheers we’ve heard around here in some time. Dad’s pleasure was evident, and he called it “the highlight of our entire career.” Of course, he shared all the credit with his associates. But it was a poignant day. He had to be rolled onto the stage in a wheelchair, and I think most of the associates sensed that it would be their last get-together with him. The room was full of pride that day—but also lots of memories, and many tears.

Here is what the presidential citation said of Dad:

An American original, Sam Walton embodies the entrepreneurial spirit and epitomizes the American dream. Concern for his employees, a commitment to his community, and a desire to make a difference have been the hallmarks of his career. By sponsoring scholarships for Latin America, he has also worked to bring peoples closer together and to share with others the American ideals he so well represents. A devoted family man, business leader, and statesman for democracy, Sam Walton demonstrates the virtues of faith, hope and hard work. America honors this captain of commerce, as successful in life as in business.

A few days later, Dad entered the University of Arkansas hospital in Little Rock. Even in the final weeks of his life, he took great pleasure in doing what he had always done. One of the last people he spoke with outside the family was a local Wal-Mart manager who, at our request, dropped by to chat with Dad about his store’s sales figures for the week. Then, less than three weeks after receiving the Medal of Freedom, and just days after his seventy-fourth birthday, Dad’s struggle with cancer finally ended. On Sunday morning, April 5, he died peacefully—as inspirational in facing death as he had been in facing life. We will all miss him.

—Rob Walton Chairman, Wal-Mart Stores Bentonville, Arkansas May 1992