He took his medicine, but he never dwelled on either the illness that had befallen him or its potentialcures. 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 mostof his time and energy doing what he enjoyed most: flying his plane from town to town, going fromWal-Mart to Wal-Mart, visiting with his beloved associates. Toward the end of 1991, when he began torealize that his illness was catching up with him and would soon limit his mobility, Dadat the urging of ourfamily and others again turned his attention to the idea of putting his story down on paper while he stillcould. Once he decided to write it, he threw himself into this book project with the same focus andenergy he applied to everything he did in life. He was very particular about what he wanted his book tobe, and he worked at it daily, making revisions, adding anecdotes, refining style points, urging others tocontribute their memories.
By early March, his spirits remained high as he continued work on the book, but his physical conditionwas worsening. Then he received one of the great surprises of his life. The White House wanted topresent him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation's highest civilian award. President Bushand the First Lady would be traveling to Bentonville to present the medal to Dad, and he was thrilled bythe honor. At such an occasion, of course, Dad could have invited anyone he wanted to attend theceremony, 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-Martgeneral offices, where Dad had held forth on so many Saturday mornings. The room was filled withseveral 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. Bushnot tomention the White House press corpsby giving one of the most enthusiastic Wal-Mart cheers we'veheard around here in some time. Dad's pleasure was evident, and he called it "the highlight of our entirecareer." Of course, he shared all the credit with his associates. But it was a poignant day. He had to berolled onto the stage in a wheelchair, and I think most of the associates sensed that it would be their lastget-together with him. The room was full of pride that daybut 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 Americandream. Concern for his employees, a commitment to his community, and a desire to make a differencehave been the hallmarks of his career. By sponsoring scholarships for Latin America, he has also workedto bring peoples closer together and to share with others the American ideals he so well represents. Adevoted family man, business leader, and statesman for democracy, Sam Walton demonstrates thevirtues of faith, hope and hard work. America honors this captain of commerce, as successful in life as inbusiness.
Afew days later, Dad entered the University of Arkansas hospital in Little Rock. Even in the final weeksof his life, he took great pleasure in doing what he had always done. One of the last people he spoke withoutside the family was a local Wal-Mart manager who, at our request, dropped by to chat with Dadabout his store's sales figures for the week. Then, less than three weeks after receiving the Medal ofFreedom, and just days after his seventy-fourth birthday, Dad's struggle with cancer finally ended. OnSunday morning, April 5, he died peacefullyas inspirational in facing death as he had been in facing life.
We will all miss him.
Rob WaltonChairman, Wal-Mart Stores Bentonville, Arkansas May 1992
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