Former Wal-Mart Exec Shewmaker Dead at 72

Jack Shewmaker, retired Wal-Mart Stores Inc. executive and philanthropist, died at his Benton County home November 17. He was 72.

Shewmaker was hired by Sam Walton in 1970 and served Wal-Mart in various roles, including president and chief operating officer, vice chairman and chief financial officer. He retired in 1988, but remained on the board until 2008.

The company said Shewmaker was an early adopter of technology and led the way to Wal-Mart’s adoption of bar code usage and the 1983 launch of its first satellite system, which tied together stores, distribution centers and the home office.

The Jack Shewmaker family made seed donations of more than $3 million to the NorthWest Arkansas Community College Foundation.

Shewmaker and his wife, Melba, received a Lifetime Philanthropic Award from the Northwest Arkansas Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals the day he died.