Walter Batchelor “Walt” Ligon Jr. was a very accomplished man: West Point star man, “B” Squad soccer, Brigade Boxing Champion. I roomed with Walt for most of our last three years at West Point. One of my clearest memories was the trail of classmates in line outside our room during the 30 minutes before taps each evening seeking help with math, fluids, or some other imponderables forced upon us. He was a consistently patient coach who clearly was responsible for any number of our classmates surviving the academic department and graduating.

 

Walt grew up in a military family, with his father, a World War II veteran, retiring as a full colonel. Fluent in French, Walt spent his high school years in Paris. Walt and I spent our cow summer vacation in Paris with his Mom and brother Tom. I remember driving around to endless parties in a Volkswagen Carmen Gia; all the while Walt, the party animal, had a following of pretty women.

 

In regard to his dragging prowess, he spent time in a foot cast from a water skiing misadventure. It did not get in his way of insuring he had a steady supply of “the ladies who come up in June.” Walt had put us on to the only secluded spot that was still within “night time limits.” That would be the Wirt Robinson Memorial next to the Catholic Chapel. It was necessary to climb up a rather steep set of stairs, and one evening as we were already there we heard the sound of someone struggling up the stairs…THUMP…step…THUMP…step. ’Twas Walt in his whites and in his cast with his drag. Not sure he liked being called “Thumper” after that.

Always the risk taker, he kept a car hidden in Cornwall–on–Hudson on Carl Sciple’s mother’s property. We never traveled very far in it and did not use it that often. The real idea behind it was simply to be able to get away with something…and he did. One afternoon he had a slight lapse of judgement allowing me (with no license) to pull the car out from beside the garage. After taking down a corner of the garage, Walt, with the same patience and generous spirit he had shown to those he coached academically, simply smiled and asked, “So what did you learn?”

Walt was always there for our reunions, where he clearly was the most colorful of classmates and definitely enhanced the enjoyment of all attending. We parted after graduation, and, after eight years as an Armor officer, he left the military and settled in Berwyn, PA, where he worked for Philco-Ford, then RCA. For a period of time he became part of a spiritual movement, leading workshops and retreats across the country. This was the perfect vehicle for his boundless energy, charisma and intelligence. He moved to Vorhees Township, NJ and then to the Washington, DC area, where he worked for Computer Sciences Corp. and then had a very successful career with Deloitte Consulting. He was clearly a Renaissance man, able to be successful in so many arenas of life. It was clear during the eulogies at his service that he was honored as the rainmaker for Deloitte. His peers and subordinates described an indomitable spirit who was a challenging, exacting leader who always treated people with respect, kindness and good humor. He brought his fine quick mind to anything he engaged. Characteristically modest, none of his co-workers in Washington knew of his accomplishments as a West Point cadet.

We did not reunite until recently, when his daughter Zoe attended college in New York City. She was the same Walt, full of high energy and great curiosity. There was never any doubt when he was in the room. Smart, good looking, articulate, charismatic and at the same time self-deprecating and vulnerable.

He is survived by his three children, one step-child and five grandchildren. He was interred in the Columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery on December 19, 2018.

— Jim Looram