Born in 1929, Bill Walton grew up in Kewanee, Illinois during the Great Depression. He attended Monmouth College and Iowa State University at different periods, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from Iowa State. After being offered a job by a fellow graduate, he moved his family to Scottsdale, Arizona. Initially working for a private firm contracted by Maricopa County Parks and Recreation, a guest editorial Walton wrote for the Scottsdale Progress about the need for parks involved him in the City of Scottsdale, starting as part of a Parks and Recreation commission, leading to roles as assistant director and director of the planning department, 1967-1973, and later leading him to run and serve two terms on Scottsdale City Council, 1984-1992. He discusses the Indian Bend Wash greenbelt flood control solution, what inspired it, and what helped to make that solution a reality. He also discusses Scottsdale’s challenges as a city, in the present and future.
Bill Walton passed away on November 3, 2025.
Interviewed by Librarian Anna Quan Leon on November 9, 2017 at Appaloosa Library.
This video is 34 minutes long.
|
