Fred E. Walts was born on June 16, 1913 in Ely, NV and, as a child, helped to load mail sacks onto biplanes. He attended Reno High School and then USF in the class of 1935, where he ran track. He also ran for the San Francisco Olympic Club with his teammate and Hall of Famer colleague John Wall. The duo set a World Record in the 2 1/2 mile four-man relay in 1935. Â
After USF, he ran an aviation school at Mills Field, now San Francisco Airport, and flew China Clippers from San Francisco to Hawaii for Pan American Airlines for 31 years, until 1972. He moved to Sebastopol and managed the Santa Rosa Air Center, and was a co-owner of Blue Sky Ads, which flew advertisement banners.Â
