Walt Zable grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, during the Great Depression, while his father worked in a mill. Life was hard and times were tough. Sports gave Walt the chance to go to college and a way to escape things that might have kept him from the life he was destined to lead. After earning his Bachelor of Science in physics from William & Mary, he received his Master of Science in physics and math from the University of Florida.
Walt turned down a scholarship offer from Harvard to attend William & Mary, where he became an honorable mention All-American in football while also lettering in baseball, basketball and track. A $10-million pledge to the university in 1990 prompted the Board of Visitors to name the Tribe’s football stadium in his honor. Recognizing his contribution to both athletics and his fellow man, the NCAA bestowed him with the Theodore Roosevelt Award in 1987, which is the highest honor the NCAA confers. In 1980 he was named a Sports Illustrated College Football Hall of Fame Gold Medal recipient. This Gold Medal has been presented to an elite group, which includes seven U.S. presidents.
Walt is remembered as a prominent engineer and entrepreneur. In 1951, Walt founded Cubic Corporation, an innovative electronics company that would grow rapidly from its humble beginnings in the family garage to a global market leader providing innovative solutions and services in the defense, security and transportation markets.
Walt and his wife, Betty Carter Zable ’40, established the Walter J. & Betty C. Zable Foundation in 1997. The foundation seeks to continue the legacy of the founders by encouraging and promoting health, science research, and assisting programs that benefit youth, underprivileged individuals and sports-related activities.
At the time of his death at age 97, Walt was the world’s oldest public company CEO and Cubic was worth $1.28 billion dollars.
His legacy lives on through the Order of the White Jacket with the Walter J. Zable Scholarship (0715) and scholarship funding provided through the Order of the White Jacket Fund (0579).