Walter B. Arnold Jr.

One of the traits of visionaries is that they have an eternally youthful outlook on life and Walter B. Arnold Jr. was no exception. Born on Oct. 2, 1914, in Chattanooga, Tenn., he was 85 years young when he died in Miami on May 9, 2000. For the greater part of his adult life, Arnold championed youth. He admired the creativity, the dreams and the accomplishments of young men and women still in school. He wanted to recognize and reward these talented young people. Walter was graduated from the University of Tennessee in Chatanooga with a degree in Business Administration. His career brought him to Miami where he worked 62 years with Aetna Life Insurance. His community service, brought him to the Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition, known for many years as the Youth Fair.

He joined the Fair's board of directors in 1959 and served on it until his death - an amazing 41 years of voluntary service to one organization. During this time, Arnold was Fair president for five years and also served as secretary, treasurer and general manager. He became Miami-Dade County's first resident to be elected president of the Florida Federation of Fairs. In 1989, the state federation named him Fair Person of the Year. He was recognized throughout Florida for helping build the state's fair industry.

Arnold lived by his philosophy: "We were born into this world without paying for a whole lot of things. Our payment can be what we do for other people.'' His entire life was devoted to youth programs, community service and the celebration and recognition of youth achievers.

His ongoing journey to build an ever-improving Miami-Dade County Fair ended before he could fulfill his ultimate dream: The creation of a Youth Hall of Fame. To recognize Arnold's outstanding contributions, visions and standards of excellence - and to help this rare individual accomplish his dream - the Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition Board of Directors officially established the Walter B. Arnold Jr. Youth Hall of Fame by resolution on May 8, 2000.