A social studies teacher who died earlier this month left an impression on his students that went beyond the classroom lessons.
Donald B. Walton, 57, of Ballston Spa, who taught at South Colonie Central High School since 1999, died Sunday, March 9, of brain cancer.
His memorial services were on Friday, March 14, and students chose to honor him and his military past by wearing gray and green clothes that day. Gray represents brain cancer awareness, and the green represented his time in the army. Shortly before coming to work at the school, Walton retired from the Army having reached the rank of major after serving for 23 years.
“He was the kind of guy that was a true military man — very established in routines — but when you got to know him, he was a really warm guy that really wanted his students to do well,” said South Colonie Central High School Principal Dave E. Wetzel. “All his students performed extremely well on the New York state regents exams.”
The students chose to honor Walton because they felt he was a special teacher who pushed them to do their best. Walton taught 10th-grade social studies, but students often stayed in touch with him even after he was no longer their teacher.
“He basically taught me to be the student I am, to be dedicated and passionate and always work hard to achieve your goals,” said senior Maria Sosiak. “I always take that with me beyond the classroom. I always use that for any life lesson.”
Senior Amy Pinkham said Walton pushed her to achieve her goals.
“He showed me how hard you need to work to get what you want and that it pays off if you put your time and energy into it,” said Pinkham.
She recalled a recent discussion with Walton about a South Colonie program called iCARE, which is a character-building program that uses five core values to help guide students in decision-making. One of the many things the program does is put on fundraising events, and they have been doing a lot to raise money and awareness for cancer patients.
“ICARE is really involved with cancer this year, and the last time I saw him (Walton), he came up to me and thanked me for everything that iCARE does for cancer. It was a really touching moment. It’s really sad that this happened,” said Pinkham.
Walton was remembered as the sort of teacher who was admired by students who weren’t even in his class.
“I didn’t have him as a teacher, but I’ve heard about him through my peers and other teachers,” said senior Shannon Terry. “I know that he was not your average teacher and that he pushed the kids really hard to learn what they needed to learn.”
Wetzel said that even after Walton became ill, he continued to teach for as long as he could.
“He had been ill for a year or so, and throughout the fall, he was in teaching every day. He had a real will to live and would let me know how well he was doing, even when he didn’t look so well,” said Wetzel.
He added that the students planned to make a memorial book to present to the family to demonstrate the type of person he was at work.
Walton was buried with military honors at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery.
In a statement released by Wetzel, the principal said he spoke with students in each of Walton’s classes and suggested that parents contact their child’s school counselor if they had any additional questions or concerns.