UWEC Athletics Hall of Fame
John Walters was the school's "Best All-Around Athlete, Leader and Good Sport" in 1935. He was a football co-captain in 1936 as well as a participant in track and baseball. Walters played football for four seasons as quarterback and was Co-Captain and an All-Conference Second Team pick as a senior. He also was a long jumper, hurdler and relay runner on the track team and played third base in baseball.
He began his teaching career at the junior high level in Schofield where he also coached football and track. He returned to Eau Claire where he taught in the junior high for 2 1/2 years and then spent six months as the Fourth Ward (later came to be called Mount Washington) Elementary School principal. At that time, he joined the United States war effort and spent 22 of 30 months in service with the 32nd infantry division in the southwest Pacific. His final three months in service were spent with the occupation forces in Japan. He returned to Eau Claire in January, 1946 and became the elementary school physical education coordinator for six months until he reassumed the principal duties at Mount Washington school. In 1949, he acquired the principalship at Sam Davey School and remained there until his retirement in 1975. He held various offices connected with education in the Eau Claire public schools. In 1954 he was state president of the Wisconsin Elementary School Principals Association and that same year served as a consultant for the National Elementary School Principals meeting in Chicago. In 1950, Walters was president of the UWEC Alumni Association
