Mark Twain observed in 1897: “There are people who think that honesty is always the best policy. This is a superstition. There are times when the appearance of it is worth six of it.” One suspects he was writing about Fort Smith politics. It has long been accepted local dogma that you don’t have to be honest with all the people. You only have to convince more of them that you believe what you say than to actually listen to yourself with a critical ear. This in a city where f

John Thomas Walton was born on October 8, 1946, in Newport, the second of four children of Sam Walton and Helen Robson Walton. The family later settled in Bentonville, where his father built the foundation of what would become Walmart. John grew up in a household that valued hard work and independence. At Bentonville High School he excelled as a star football player while also nurturing an artistic side that included playing the flute. After graduation he enrolled at the Coll