Wife of Wal-Mart Founder Dies at 87

Helen Robson Kemper Walton died in her home surrounded by her family Thursday evening. She died of natural causes according to the news release from the company. She was the wife of late Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, who passed away in 1992 at age 74.

Helen was born in Claremore, Oklahoma, on December 3, 1919. She was the daughter of L.S. and Hazel Carr Robson a banker and rancher. She graduated Valadictorian of her high school class in Claremore. Helen attended the University of Oklahoma were she graduated with a degree in business.

She would meet Sam in 1942 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She would marry him the following year on Valentines Day. After he was discharged from the military, the two moved to Newport, Arkansas in 1945. Here they would open their first "five and dime" store with the help of her father. He loaned the couple $20,000 to buy a store. This was also the same year their first child was born S. Robson Walton. In 1950 they moved to Bentonville, where they continued to live out the rest of their lives.

The couple opened the first Wal-mart store in 1962 near Rogers, Arkansas. The business they started together quickly grew into a chain of stores that would become the largest chain of retail stores in the world. The company currently owns 6,500 stores in 15 different countries, but still maintains a headquarters in Bentonville, AK.

Helen's focus was always on family and children as well as arts and education. While she was the President of the Walmart foundation, she established The Walton Scholars program for the children of Wal-Mart employees. One hundred and fifty scholarships are awarded each year.

Helen was also very much invovled in the University of Arkansas, to which she made a$300 million dollar gift in 2002 which proceded an earlier donation of $50 million which went to their "Sam M. Walton School of Business."

John White, Chancellor of the Fayetteville campus' Arkansas University, said "To know her was an honor and a privilege," White said. "She had an impact not only on Arkansas, but throughout the world. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, and when the grief fades away, they're going to realize how blessed they were to have such a wonderful mother."

Helen Robson Walton is preceded in death by her husband, Sam and a son, John Walton. John died in an experimental plane crash in 2005 at age 58. She is survived by Rob Walton, Jim Walton and daughter Alice Walton. She has eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Rob Walton who is the current Chairman of Walmart Stores Inc. released a statement saying, "We are so proud of our mother and the life she led. She devoted much of her life to helping others, and to improving the quality of life in Northwest Arkansas.

"Today, my brother and sister, and the entire Walton and Robson families mourn my mother's death. But we also celebrate her extraordinary life."

There will be a memorial service in Bentonville on Monday.
(http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/19/walton.obit.ap/index.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Walton, http://www.answers.com/topic/sam-walton)