Biography

Sam Walton
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Born: March 29, 1918 in Kingfisher, Oklahoma
Died: April 5, 1992 in Little Rock, Arkansas
Famous for: Founder of Walmart

Sam Walton was born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma on March 29, 1918. His
father, Tom, was a farmer. While Sam was still young, the family moved
to Missouri. Sam grew up in Missouri with his younger brother James.
From the time he was a young boy, Sam was a hard worker. Sam worked
all types of jobs including a paper boy. In addition to working, Sam went to school, was a member of
the Boy Scouts, and enjoyed sports. He was a star athlete on the high school football team.

After high school, Sam attended the University of Missouri. At college Sam continued to work part
time jobs to help pay for school. He graduated in 1940 with a degree in economics. Sam's first job out
of school was with retailer J.C. Penny. He worked there as a manager for a year and half. During his
time at J.C. Penny, Sam learned a lot about the retail business. Walton married Helen Robson in 1943
and they had four children including three boys (Rob, John, and Jim) and one daughter (Alice).

Walton dreamed of opening a large discount store located in a rural area away from competition. Part
of his idea was that the profits on the items would be small in order to offer the customer a good price.
However, he expected to compensate with huge volumes. It was difficult for him to sell the idea to
investors at first, but he eventually received a loan and opened his first Walmart in Rogers, Arkansas in
1962. The store was a great success and Walton continued to Glossary:
open more stores. He opened his second store in 1964 and his Retail: The selling of goods to individual
third in 1966. By 1968, there were 24 Walmart stores and consumers.
growing. Over the years, the chain grew and grew. It had 125
Profits: Money gained from business
stores in 1975 and 882 stores in 1985. Now, there are over 11,000
Investors: Spend money to make a profit
Walmart stores worldwide.
Loan: Credit
Sam Walton died of cancer on April 5, 1992 in Little Rock,
Arkansas. His son Rob took over the business.

I. Read Sam Walton's biography and say what these numbers / names refer to.

1. 1918
2. 1940
3. J.C. Penny
4. Three
5. 882
6. 11,000
7. Arkansas
II. Read Sam Walton's biography again. Say if the following sentences are True (T) or False
(F).
1. Sam Walton was born in Missouri. ________
2. Walton was a star in the high school basketball team. ________
3. Walton studied economics at university. ________
4. Walton worked as a salesman for a year and a half at J.C. Penney. ________
5. It wasn't easy for Walton to sell his business idea to investors. ________
6. In 1966, there were three Wal-Mart stores. ________

III.Go back to Sam Walton's biography and number the following information according to
the order in which it appears in the text.

Family life ________

Place / year when he was born ________
His parents ________
Childhood ________
What he was famous for ________
Place / year when he died ________
Name of the person ________
Important moments in his business life ________