The recent article by Palak Jayswal in The Salt Lake Tribune about tours of the Walker Center’s rooftop and the history of the building brought to mind a tale I heard in the 1970s about John M. Wallace, then president and chairman of the board of Walker Bank.
Wallace was an avid golfer, very competitive and liked nothing better than to have his pals reach for their wallets to pay him off after a round at the Salt Lake Country Club.
To help that occurrence along, Wallace had mattresses propped up against the walls inside the cupola atop the building. Prior to his departure for the club he would hit golf balls into the padding to warm up. By the time he reached the first tee his swing was grooved and ready to go. His busy golf pals, meanwhile, often had only minutes to spare before tee time so they didn’t have the luxury of warming up before the round.
Because of that practice session, Wallace usually collected more than he shelled out.
Mike C. Korologos, Salt Lake City
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