I never met Walt, but I certainly heard a lot about what a great guy he was from Scott when I was preparing to buy his plane.
As the new caretaker of Walt's awesome 78WG, I can attest to the "perfectionist" description. The 36 year old/2700 hr aircraft (still with its original paint!) always draws a crowd and comments that it's built just as well as a certified aircraft. After a year and a half of ownership I have yet to require any maintenance aside from oil changes and a conditional. I truly feel fortunate to have found such a well built machine.
Unfortunately due to work I won't be able to bring 78WG back to Oshkosh this year, but I'll be there in spirit. Hopefully now that I'm home from deployment I'll be able to make some fly-ins and keep Walt's plane active with in community for years to come.
Striker