Francis Walton letter

Francis R. Walton was a noted bibliophile and classical scholar who specialized in the study of ancient Greek religion. Born in Philadelphia in 1910, he received his bachelor's from Haverford College in 1932, and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1938. He was a fellow at the American Academy in Rome for two years in the late 1930s, prior to returning to the United States to teach. He taught classics at Haverford College, Williams College, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Chicago. From 1952 to 1960, Walton served as the chairman of the classics department at Florida State University. In 1961, Walton was appointed as the director of the Gennadius Library at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. He held the post until his retirement in 1975. In 1976, he was awarded the Order of the Phoenix by the Greek state in recognition of his contribution to Greek life and culture. He died on October 5, 1989, in Washington D.C.

(Biographical note accessed from the American School of Classical Studies at Athens)