PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (April 17, 2020) – Tracking Tommie Walton’s life, it seemed fated that he would bestow a kindness, not just to Prairie View, but to all of the students that walk through the university’s grounds.

“Tommie always loved Prairie View,” Tommy Clay said of his departed cousin, Tommie Walton. Mr. Walton loved Prairie View A&M University so much in fact, that he left his alma mater $300,000 from his estate when he died in March of 2019, a few months shy of his 90th birthday. This January, that gift became a scholarship named in his honor.

“Estate Gifts like Tommie Walton’s are an opportunity for people to leave a legacy and to make a lasting impact,” said Ruth J. Simmons, President of PVAMU.

In Mr. Walton’s case, a scholarship in his name is a lasting reminder of his generous nature.

“Tommie grew up very poor, and he struggled all of his life to achieve his status in life. He worked as a shoeshine boy and at the baseball park. He pretty much put himself through school,” Mr. Clay said. “He just wanted to give back to the youth to help them further their education at Prairie View. He wanted to make sure a scholarship was set up in his name to give kids an opportunity.”

A graduate of industrial education in the class of 1953, Prairie View served as Mr. Walton’s first steps into adulthood and a life of service as: an Army Major who served in the Korean War; someone who worked for NASA (he assisted the secret service, and the FBI when presidents visited NASA); and an active parishioner at Jordan Grove Missionary Baptist Church. 

“Tommie was a person who really stepped up when they called upon him, and sometimes they didn’t have to call upon him, he just provided services.”

Mr. Walton’s Estate Gift is now the Tommie Walton Endowed Scholarship, open to any students in good academic standing with financial need. 

“Gifts like Mr. Walton’s, are remarkable,” said Carme Williams, Vice President of Development at PVAMU. “That level of generosity and forethought enables Prairie View to provide opportunities to students who have the talent but not the means to continue their education. Many people don’t realize that they can leave an Estate Gift to Prairie View by listing the university in their will and then notifying the Prairie View University Office of Development. Estate Gifts are one way that alumni and friends of Prairie View can give back to the next generation of students even if they won’t get to see the fruits of their kindness.”

Mr. Walton’s influence on the world dates back before his donation. His cousin recalls the impact he had on him. “When I first met Tommie, I was a young man…I was maybe about 12, and he came to visit my father, and when he came, he was in his military uniform,” Mr. Clay said. “You have to understand that for a young black boy, seeing a black man in this officer’s uniform, it left an impression on me. He would tell me stories of his adventures. When I moved to Houston, I was even more impressed with his status-especially working with famous astronauts and rubbing shoulders with notable people here in Houston and him being a man of color.”

Kindness and contribution were at the core of Mr. Walton. Mr. Clay believes the Tommie Walton Scholarship is an opportunity for its recipients to both experience generosity and to be generous themselves, “[This scholarship is] a call to students to better themselves and look out for the next person who comes behind them. Don’t be selfish because you made it; give back.”

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By Office of Development Staff