Walker Was A Difference Maker

In the flurry of activity surrounding the Razorback season opener combined with the extended Labor Day holiday, it is likely many Arkansans didn’t notice a significant newsworthy event in our state over the weekend. I’m not talking about the 5.6 magnitude earthquake that rumbled through our region on Saturday morning or even the multiple-car pileup in the Bobby Hopper Tunnel, but rather the loss of the matriarch of one our state’s most generous families.

In some ways the timing of her passing seamlessly fits with her understated style. Pat Walker was never one to seek the spotlight. Working alongside her husband Willard until his passing in 2003, the lady affectionately known as Ms. Pat carried on the Walker legacy of philanthropy until her passing on Saturday at age 97. The Walkers were married for more than 60 years and had two children, Patricia and Johnny Mike, seven grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

In a world where many gain fame simply for their net worth, the Walkers reluctantly netted attention for their wealth of generous acts that have forever changed the lives of others and transformed our state. In 1959, Walmart founder Sam Walton hired Willard Walker to manage Walton’s Five and Dime in Fayetteville. Walker became a mainstay in the budding retail giant and a major stock holder. It was yet another success story born from a small town dream.

But even as their personal financial portfolio began to grow, the Walkers preferred to operate outside the Walmart spotlight. Instead the couple went to work on quietly making a difference in the community around them. Soon their generosity enveloped our state as subtly and authoritatively as a late afternoon shadow.

In 1986, they formed the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation. Since that time the Foundation has awarded hundreds of millions of dollars to worthwhile causes including numerous grants for education and healthcare initiatives.

The Walkers made signature gifts to the College of Business’ Willard J. Walker Hall, the Willard and Pat Walker Health Center and the Fowler House. In 2009, the Walker Charitable Foundation made a significant donation for need based academic scholarships at the University of Arkansas.

As far as their impact on the Razorback program? It is unmistakable. They are the namesakes of the Walker Family Training Center, which includes the Willard and Pat Walker Pavilion and the Razorbacks’ spectacular 18,000 square-foot weight room facility. The Walkers also made a gift for the construction of Bud Walton Arena which includes the Willard and Pat Walker Entry.

But when it comes to transforming Razorback history, legendary Arkansas baseball coach Norm DeBriyn has a vivid memory of their most influential gift. In the early 1990s, Arkansas was looking to expand George Cole Field as the Razorbacks forged into the SEC. But as the vision for a new stadium started to grow, so did the need for financial support to make it happen.

After a presentation at Swatter’s Club, a booster club for Razorback Baseball, Athletic Director Frank Broyles was asked what it would take to start construction on a new stadium? “A million dollars,” Broyles replied. That afternoon at baseball practice, Johnny Mike Walker approached Coach DeBriyn on the field to give him some news that would change everything.

In only hours, the Walkers had pledged a gift to initiate the construction of a new baseball home for the Razorbacks. In 1996, Baum Stadium at George Cole Field hosted its first Razorback game. And more than 20 seasons later, Baum Stadium remains the best college baseball venue in the nation.

In recent years, Ms. Pat was a fixture at men’s basketball games at Bud Walton Arena, including sitting inches from the hardwood in her courtside seats. From time to time, players would careen into the seating section and invariably the conversation would ensue. Are you sure you want to sit so close? What if one of those players runs into you?

Ms. Pat would listen politely, flash a grin and simply explain that if it was her time, she couldn’t imagine a better way to go than cheering on her Razorbacks. Instead, now we are left as a Razorback Family mourning a dear friend but cheering the legacy of this extraordinary woman who helped make a difference in the lives of all of us.