o Texas A&M President served longer or was more popular with the students than Thomas Otto Walton. Perhaps no other administrator is so well remembered for his direct intervention and assistance on behalf of students. Although he inherited the nickname "Prexy" from his predecessor, William Bennett Bizzell, Walton would make it his own endearing title. Even tough wildcatter Michel T. Halbouty '30 is nearly brought to tears when recounting his first encounter with "Prexy" Walton.  Short of the money needed to enroll, Halbouty faced the embarrassing possibility of having to return home. Told that someone named "Presy" could help he marched over to the president's office. Walton found him a job that would pay his fees. A handshake and a promise launched a career and a life long commitment to Texas A&M for Halbouty. It is impossible to say how many times over the years that this scene repeated itself.
   Texas A&M had just over two thousand students when Walton took over in 1925. The lowliest freshman could walk into the president's office and a handshake would supplant a volume of rules. His warm personality and magnetic smile quickly put others at ease. Such character traits enabled him to serve as President of Texas A&M for eighteen years. The average tenure in the job is only seven years. Walton was born in Gary, Texas on March 8, 1883 and grew up on a typical Texas farm. He graduated from Carthage High School and attended Sam Houston Normal (now Sam Houston State University) and North Texas State Teachers College (now North Texas University). 

Baylor University awarded him an honorary LL.D. in 1926. After teaching school for six years in Panola County, Walton joined the Texas Agricultural Extension Service (TAES) as County Agent for Polk County in 1908. He served as Director of TAES from 1916 to 1925.  Walton was nationally regarded as an expert in agricultural extension and development and sought as a speaker on agricultural and educational affairs. An unofficial advisor to the Roosevelt administration on agricultural policy, Walton represented the United States at international agricultural conference sat the Hague, Holland and in Latin America. He served as president of the Association of Land Grant Colleges and Universities (1933-34).
   He carried A&M through the tough years of the Depression and during his tenure enrollment climbed to over six thousand. Despite the financial hardships of the 1930's, he would oversee the greatest building program the school had seen up until that time. Walton also took the lead in preparing the school for war. Texas A&M was in most respects far ahead of the rest of the country on December 7, 1941.
   In the end he fell victim to his own longevity in office. Under the pressures of running a college campus during wartime and the constant criticism of his administration, Walton resigned August 7, 1943 on the advice of his physician. Walton's retirement was active. He served on the War Labor Board and then as Postmaster of College Station. Ever the agriculturalist he devoted his remaining years to farm work and outdoor activities. He died February 18, 1961, at the age of seventy-seven.