I'm sad tonight. On the wall behind my desk hang four pictures of men I've admired and been a fan of for most of my life. The largest is of John Wayne, great actor, American, and patriot, and in spite of some moral flaws, a man who had his feet on the ground, humble, not arrogant. After a heroic battle with cancer he passed away in 1979.
To the left and slightly above is a picture of Ronald Reagan, the greatest president of my lifetime, and one of the greatest in our history. Also a man from humble beginnings who became the leader of the free world, but never forgot where he came from. He was a man of the people, a man of wisdom and acclaim until Alzheimer's took him in 2004.
To the left of Reagan above a personal letter to me that I framed is a picture of Bobby Richardson, fine baseball player and MVP of the 1960 World Series, a man with a great Christian testimony who won many of his teammates to the Lord and who has been an invaluable influence on my life.
In the middle below Reagan is Clint Walker, star of the Cheyenne TV show from 1955 to 1963, and many great movies including Night of the Grizzly. Walker, like Reagan, was born in Illinois and lived along the Mississippi River. He grew tall, 6'6", and big with a 52 inch chest and 32 inch waste, and handsome. He was perfectly sculpted, the heart throb of women and the envy of men. He was working as a security officer at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas when an actor got him an interview with Cecil B. DeMille, and then Warner Brothers bought his contract and put him in the lead role of the first hour long prime time western TV series, Cheyenne. Almost off the street he became a major star.
He was also a patriot, enlisting in the Merchant Marines at the end of World War 2 before age 18, and a conservative, a life member of the NRA, a supporter of Ronald Reagan, and often a guest on Mark Levin's radio program. He always portrayed characters with wholesome, moral values, even referring to the Bible several times in the Cheyenne series. He never used foul language, and turned down a number of roles that he felt were inappropriate or inconsistent with the principles that he lived by. He was also a humble man, never too busy to talk to his fans.
My brother, Randall, met him in Branson, Missouri back in 2005. Randall was the lead singer in a western show and Walker was there for a TV cowboy convention. Between shows Randall had an opportunity to talk with him for several minutes. Clint encouraged Randall to do wholesome, family oriented entertainment.
Several years ago I joined the only official Clint Walker fan club on Facebook. Last year the moderator asked members to make a short video greeting for his 90th birthday so I did. Every August there is a Western Roundup in Kanab, Utah, and Clint was usually there every year. Last August I was in a mission conference in Cortez, Colorado during the same week and asked the pastor of the church for a day off to make the four hour drive to Kanab and back.
A week before the roundup the word came that Clint would not be able to attend. I was greatly disappointed. Sometime back in the 70s I put Clint Walker on my prayer list and prayed for him for many years. Last summer I began to wonder about his health and prayed for him again.
I was five years old and he was my first hero. Yesterday, nine days before his 91st birthday, he passed from this life into eternity. His wife and daughter were holding him in their arms. I saw the notice early this morning and tonight my heart is heavy. I hope someday I'll get to meet him in heaven.
Maybe a proper farewell comes from the last lines of the Cheyenne theme song:
Move along, Cheyenne, next pasture's always so green.
Drifting on, Cheyenne, don't forget the things you have seen,
And when you will settle down, where will it be?
Cheyenne.
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