Via AP:

Wal-Mart heir John T. Walton, who threw his considerable financial support behind efforts to educate low-income children, has died in the crash of a homemade, experimental aircraft.

Walton, of Jackson, Wyo., crashed shortly after takeoff Monday from Jackson Hole Airport in Grand Teton National Park, the company said. The cause of the crash was not known and will be investigated, officials said. Walton was 58.

“I think all you can say is he was just a good man and today, you grieve,” Jay Allen, Wal-Mart senior vice president of corporate affairs, told The Morning News of Springdale.

Walton was a passionate advocate for school choice. In 1998, he co-founded the Children’s Scholarship Fund, which has awarded more than 67,000 educational scholarships to low-income children.

Walton’s legacy lives with them.

Update: Matt at Blackfive has more on this very good man…

[W]hat you may not know (and probably Charlie Rangel does not know) is that John Walton left Wooster College to volunteer for Viet Nam. But he didn’t just volunteer for combat duty, he volunteered several times to be a Paratrooper and Special Forces Medic. He was assigned to Military Assistance Command - Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group (MAC-V-SOG).

Walton was also a recipient of the Silver Star.

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