In Memoriam: Rick Walton

We note with great sadness the passing away of children’s book author Rick Walton, on October 7, from brain cancer. He was 59. His funeral will be held Saturday October 15, 11am at the Edgemont South Stake Center, at 350 E 2950 N, Provo, UT. There will be a viewing for those coming into town for the funeral from 10-10:45 am. The main viewing will be Friday October 14 at 5-8pm at the same location. Walton had suffered from Parkinson’s Disease for several years, and was diagnosed with brain cancer early in 2015.

Walton was the author of nearly 100 children’s books, most of them picture books. He also wrote riddle books, poetry, activity books, and mini mysteries. He was widely seen as a leader in the remarkably large and vibrant Utah children’s literature community.

Among the memorial essays are “A legacy of inspiration, remembering Utah children’s book author extraordinaire Rick Walton” by Ann Cannon from The Salt Lake Tribune. Cannon wrote, “In the end, the people Rick inspired will go on to inspire others who will inspire others who will inspire others. And because he adored people as much as he adored words, his circle was large. His influence will be felt by individuals who may never know his name.” Also In Memory of Rick Walton, by his close friend Carol Lynch Williams, and Rest Well, Rick Walton, by Scott Rhoades. See also these two recent articles written before his death, “How Writer Rick Walton Inspired Utah’s Literary Wellspring” by Rachel Piper from The Salt Lake Tribune and “Utah Children’s Authors Build a Community” from Publishers Weekly.

Walton was born in 1957 in Provo. He graduated from Provo High School, and went on to Brigham Young University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Spanish in 1980. He served an LDS mission in Brazil. He later pursued a graduate degree in business, but decided instead to become a teacher. He earned his teaching certification from BYU in 1987 and is certified to teach both elementary education and gifted and talented students. He has taught at both public and private schools. He has also worked as a software designer for IBM, WordPerfect and Novell,  a freelance software designer and writer, as well as a secretary and an arts administrator. In 1999 he earned his master’s degree in English, with a creative writing emphasis, from BYU.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports, “Walton was encouraged to write for children by a high school teacher. In his twenties he sent picture book manuscripts to more than a hundred publishers. His first accepted book — Something’s Fishy!: Jokes About Sea Creatures — was published when he was 30. It was the first of more than a dozen he wrote for Lerner, one of the largest children’s publishers in the country. Eight were featured on the public television show “Reading Rainbow.” His first picture book was published five years later, in 1992. Walton began writing full time, publishing several books a year over the next twenty years.”

Together with Cheri Earl and Carol Lynch Williams, Walton organized dozens of writing conferences in Utah — the biggest being Writing & Illustrating for Young Readers, held annually since 2000 — bringing in agents and editors from New York and helping fledgling writers network and navigate the publishing world. Walton encouraged cooperation among Utah’s children authors, including founding Walton’s Rock Canyon email list, which came to have 200-plus members.

Among his recent books are Horsing Around: Jokes to Make Ewe Smile, I Need My Own Country!, 10 Little Monsters Visit Oregon, Baby’s First Year, A Made Bed Is More Fun to Jump on and Other Family Laws, Where Is Elephant?, and Just Like Lion. He coauthored Familius Christmas Anthology: Just for Kids: Stories, Poems, Recipes, and Activities to Celebrate the Christmas Spirit, Road Tripping: A Parent’s Guide to Planning and Surviving the Annual Car Trip. Walton collaborated with Nathan Hale in 2012 to produce Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s Fright Before Christmas, parodies of the Madeline books, under the pen name Ludworst Bemonster.

Walton also wrote a play, Mysteries of Monster Grove, which played at BYU in March-June, 2010. The play was adapted by Walton, director Eric Samuelsen, and the student cast, from a series of Walton’s unpublished short stories.

Concerning his illnesses, the Salt Lake Tribune reported, “Walton was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in his late 40s. It exacerbated his already restless habits, turning his movements jerky, and he was often in pain. He eventually was unable to drive and quit teaching at BYU, though he found a ride to most book events. The symptoms also masked the tumor that was growing in his brain. It wasn’t discovered until after Walton fell at the March 2015 Writing & Illustrating for Young Readers conference. After surgery to remove it, he had to learn to speak again.”

Walton loved to read, travel, play the guitar, study foreign languages, and write. He will be greatly missed.

[I took all of the information in this post from the Salt Lake Tribune articles, the tributes, and a MormonWiki article.]