Sam Walton: a Biography
Sam Walton: A Biography
America 's richest man, Sam Walton, was not always rich. Growing up during the depression, he struggled to help his family then, not knowing he would one day own a multi-billion dollar business, and then struggle to help the poorest of America becoming one of the top philanthropists in the United States. Also seen as a great leader, not everyone agrees on the "greatness" of the man who laid the foundation of some of the most significant management concepts used today in the business world. On March 29, 1918, Sam Walton was born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma to parents Thomas Gibson and Nancy Lee Walton. Sam 's father Tom had decided to name his first born son after his father, Samuel Moore Walton (Trimble, 1990). The family lived on a farm while Sam 's father ran a farm mortgage business. The Great Depression during the 1920 's was hard times for the family, causing a downfall in profit for Tom 's business. Without enough money to cover expenses, Tom decided to move the family, Nancy, Sam, and his younger brother James, who was born in 1921, to Missouri. There Tom worked hard during the depression working for his half-brother who also ran a farm mortgage business. Sam 's family was moved from town to town in Missouri, living in Springfield, Marshall, and Shelbina, over a period of ten years (Canadeo, 1992).
Although Sam was a shy and quiet boy, he looked up to his father and took after him, holding family traits of being persistent, determined, and a natural leader (Canadeo, 1992). During this time of need, Sam did whatever he could to help out his family. He did small jobs for neighbors, such as painting porches, bottling milk from the cows and selling them for the neighbors. This hard work and determination also showed through Sam in school. Attending Shelbina High School, Sam was a good athlete and very popular among his peers. He helped his football team become undefeated his sophomore year and was the first Boy Scout in the state 's
America 's richest man, Sam Walton, was not always rich. Growing up during the depression, he struggled to help his family then, not knowing he would one day own a multi-billion dollar business, and then struggle to help the poorest of America becoming one of the top philanthropists in the United States. Also seen as a great leader, not everyone agrees on the "greatness" of the man who laid the foundation of some of the most significant management concepts used today in the business world. On March 29, 1918, Sam Walton was born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma to parents Thomas Gibson and Nancy Lee Walton. Sam 's father Tom had decided to name his first born son after his father, Samuel Moore Walton (Trimble, 1990). The family lived on a farm while Sam 's father ran a farm mortgage business. The Great Depression during the 1920 's was hard times for the family, causing a downfall in profit for Tom 's business. Without enough money to cover expenses, Tom decided to move the family, Nancy, Sam, and his younger brother James, who was born in 1921, to Missouri. There Tom worked hard during the depression working for his half-brother who also ran a farm mortgage business. Sam 's family was moved from town to town in Missouri, living in Springfield, Marshall, and Shelbina, over a period of ten years (Canadeo, 1992).
Although Sam was a shy and quiet boy, he looked up to his father and took after him, holding family traits of being persistent, determined, and a natural leader (Canadeo, 1992). During this time of need, Sam did whatever he could to help out his family. He did small jobs for neighbors, such as painting porches, bottling milk from the cows and selling them for the neighbors. This hard work and determination also showed through Sam in school. Attending Shelbina High School, Sam was a good athlete and very popular among his peers. He helped his football team become undefeated his sophomore year and was the first Boy Scout in the state 's
References: Canadeo, A. (1992). Sam Walton: The Giant of Wal-Mart. Oklahoma: Garret Educational Corporation. Criticism of Wal-Mart. (2006). Wikipedia. Retrieved on November 21, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Wal-Mart Epatko, L Fitzgerald, K. (n.d.). Sam Walton: The Model Manager of Wal-Mart. University of St. Francis Online. Retrieved November 13, 2006, from http://www.stfrancis.edu/ba/ghkickul/stuwebs/bbios/biograph/walton1.htm Galiano, A., (2006) Harper, L. (2004). Just Wal-Mart? Online News Hour. Retrieved November 13, 2006, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/wal-mart/unique.html Lashinsky, P Nwazota, K. (2004). Challenging Wal-Mart. Online News Hour. Retrieved November 13, 2006, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/wal-mart/challenging.html Silverman, S The Wal-Mart Story. (2006). Wal-Mart Online. Retrieved October 29, 2006, from http://www.walmartfacts.com/content/default.aspx?id=1 The Wal-Mart Timeline Trimble, V. H. (1990). Sam Walton: The inside story of America 's richest man. New York: Penguin Group.