When Joseph Walter, MD ’67, served in Vietnam, doctors did not carry weapons. On the frequent occasions when he was in a dangerous situation, he’d be accompanied by two U.S. Marine guards. “These 19-year-olds took care of me. I was very appreciative of that,” he remembers. Dr. Walter is paying tribute to those Marines, and people in other protective roles, through the Joseph F. Walter Scholarship Fund at YSM. The fund supports medical and PA students who served in the U.S. military, or worked as first responders, or are the children of parents who held one of those roles. A radiologist and avid runner, Dr. Walter describes himself as “very fortunate.” He realizes that he owes a debt to “the people standing by to take care of you if you get in trouble.”
He made an initial gift to establish the scholarship in 2002 and will further fund it with a bequest after his death. Giving through a bequest enabled him to create a lasting path to opportunity for people who safeguard others, while simultaneously benefiting his own family’s financial future. Dr. Walter’s two younger brothers and their wives will draw an income from a trust during their lifetimes. After their deaths, the balance will revert to Yale. This guarantees financial support to the family and avoids the estate taxes they would face if he left money to them directly.
Dr. Walter believes that people from military or public safety backgrounds have a great deal to offer the field of medicine. He also suspects that their orientation toward service makes them more likely to choose to meet the urgent need in primary care. Yale, where Dr.
Walter so enjoyed the independence and opportunity to explore, struck him as an ideal place for these tough-minded and resilient people to start their next adventure.