Craig Walton remembered as crusader

Retired Las Vegas ethics professor Craig Walton was remembered Wednesday as a tireless crusader for good government, a popular educator and caring family man.

Walton, who taught at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for 33 years, died Monday from complications from surgery. He was 72.

He initiated the Ethics and Policies Studies Program at UNLV, and upon retiring from teaching, continued his work in ethics by founding the Nevada Center for Public Ethics. Walton and his colleagues sought to improve Nevada's ethics laws and worked at the Nevada Legislature.

"Nevada is losing a great friend," said William Frankell, a member of the board of the Nevada Center for Public Ethics. "I'm going to miss his friendship. He cared about the issues. With all the scandals involving elected officials, the issues he has been working on for years were finally getting attention from the powers that be."

The center will continue its work and seek to carry out his legacy, Frankell said.

Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, a colleague and friend of Walton, said his death is a great loss. Walton worked on Titus' campaign for governor, walking neighborhoods on her behalf.

"He has been the conscience of the state," Titus said. "He did it with no ax to grind and no personal agenda. That's what makes it so remarkable and outstanding.

"He not only studied ethics, he lived an ethical life," she said.

Vera Walton said one aspect of her husband's life that not everyone was aware of was his deep commitment and love for his family.

"He was very important to the community, but he cared about his children and family," she said.

She said her children from a previous marriage never called him anything but "Dad" or "Pop."

"I'm not sure people know that about him," she said. "What a fine family man he was."

With his work in the academic world, Craig Walton was also handy, building both the family home in Las Vegas and a cabin near Cedar City in Southern Utah, Vera Walton said.

"I don't know where he developed them, but he had tremendous electrical skills," she said.

He loved Shakespeare and enjoyed the plays, both well- known and obscure, put on at the Utah Shakespearean Festival, she said.

Former state lawmaker Jim Spinello, a student of Craig Walton's after his legislative career, called him a "wonderful person."

"I can't recall every seeming him cross with anybody," Spinello said.

"Even while being fairly critical, as a philosopher he tried to take the charitable view."

Spinello said Craig Walton as a teacher and mentor was open enough to let his students "stumble around a bit" in their wide-ranging studies.

"He tried to be as valuable to each student as possible, with few constraints other than the academic requirements," Spinello said.

Craig Walton believed there are standards people need to live up to in a free and democratic society, he said.

"The center was something he really hoped to build into a force for good, a force for the people," Spinello said.

Craig Walton was born Dec. 6, 1934, in Los Angeles. He attended Pomona College and was a navigator in the Air Force for four years. He received his doctorate in philosophy from Claremont Graduate University in 1965.

He taught philosophy at the University of Southern California and Northern Illinois University before teaching at UNLV. He served on several state and national boards and was internationally recognized for his work in philosophy and ethics.

His memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Oct. 27 at Lamb of God Lutheran Church, 6220 N. Jones Blvd.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Nevada Cancer Institute or the Nevada Center for Public Ethics.