Alice Walton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alice Walton
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Walton in 2021
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Alice Louise Walton
October 7, 1949 Newport, Arkansas, U.S.
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| Education | Trinity University (BA) |
| Known for | Heiress, Walton family fortune |
| Political party | Independent |
| Board member of | Amon Carter Museum of American Art |
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Alice Louise Walton was born on October 7, 1949. She is an American billionaire and the daughter of Sam Walton, who founded Walmart. She is known for being one of the wealthiest women in the world.
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Early Life and Education
Alice Walton was born in Newport, Arkansas. She grew up with her three brothers in Bentonville, Arkansas. She finished high school in Bentonville in 1966. Later, she earned a degree in economics from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.
Career Highlights
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Early in her career, Alice Walton worked as a financial expert. She helped manage investments for banks. She also worked as a broker for a company called EF Hutton. In 1988, she started her own investment bank, Llama Company. She was the president and leader of this company.
Walton was the first person to lead the Northwest Arkansas Council. This group helps develop the region. She played a big part in creating the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport. This airport opened in 1998. She provided $15 million to help start the construction. Her company, Llama Company, also helped with funding. The airport's main building is named the Alice L. Walton Terminal Building in her honor. She was recognized for her aviation contributions in 2001. Llama Company closed in 1998.
Her father, Sam Walton, once described Alice as being very much like him. He said she was a "maverick," meaning someone who is independent.
Passion for Art
Alice Walton and her mother enjoyed painting watercolors together. Alice bought her first piece of art, a print by Picasso, when she was just ten years old. It cost her five weeks of allowance. Later, she began collecting museum-quality artworks.
She has collected many important American paintings. These include works by artists like Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper. She also owns a famous portrait of George Washington by Charles Willson Peale. In 2005, she bought a painting called Kindred Spirits for a large sum of money. This painting is a tribute to the artist Thomas Cole. In 2009, she bought Norman Rockwell's "Rosie the Riveter" painting. She has also acquired art by Georgia O'Keeffe, Mark Rothko, and Kehinde Wiley.
Walton's love for art led her family's foundation to create the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. This museum is in Bentonville, Arkansas. The famous architect Moshe Safdie designed the museum. It opened in 2011 and is free for everyone to visit. Walton wanted to make art accessible to people who might not have seen it before.
Community Involvement and Giving Back
Alice Walton has supported various causes through her philanthropy. In 2016, she donated a large amount of money to the Walton Family Holdings Trust. This trust helps fund the family's charitable work.
Alice L. Walton Foundation
In 2017, Walton started the Alice L. Walton Foundation. This foundation supports arts, education, health, and economic opportunities. For example, in 2020, it gave $3 million to the University of Central Arkansas for its fine arts program. It also helped expand a program that provides healthy food in schools. In 2022, the foundation gave a grant to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank to help build a food distribution center and buy food.
Art Bridges Foundation
Also in 2017, Walton created the Art Bridges Foundation. This foundation works with smaller museums. It provides funding, loans art from its collection, and creates traveling exhibits. Walton's goal is to share art that might otherwise stay in storage. As of September 2021, the foundation had about 30 exhibits traveling across the United States. Art Bridges also helps people from diverse backgrounds get jobs in art leadership.
Healthcare Initiatives
In 2019, Walton founded the Whole Health Institute. This institute helps health systems offer holistic healthcare. In 2021, she announced that the institute would build a non-profit medical school in Bentonville. This school, the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, will train doctors. Construction began in 2023, with the first students expected in 2025.
In 2021, her foundation worked with the Cleveland Clinic to study healthcare in Northwest Arkansas. This led to plans for a new non-profit medical system. This system will train doctors in special fields like cancer care and heart health.
Recognition and Awards
Alice Walton has received several honors for her work:
- Time magazine named her one of the most influential people in the world in 2012.
- She received the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Art Medal in 2013.
- She was inducted into the International Women's Forum hall of fame in 2018.
- She received the J. Paul Getty Medal in 2020.
Images for kids
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Walton in 2021
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Walton at the 2011 Walmart Shareholders meeting
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The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas
See also
In Spanish: Alice Walton para niños
