Valerie Walker-All About Clint Walker’s Daughter

June 29, 2023   | June 29, 2023  | 

    Valerie Walker is a celebrity daughter born to the late American actor Clint Walker. Besides this, Walker is known by many as Captain Valerie Walker who started her aviation career in an adventurous and unconventional way. She was a flight instructor and police aerial patrol pilot in fixed wings and helicopters. 

    As an experienced pilot, Clint’s daughter Valerie also expressed her point of view regarding the Air France Jet crash while many cited lightning as the main reason behind the deadly crash.

    Key Takeaways

    • She is the daughter of Clint Walker and his first wife Verna Garver.
    • Valerie is a former pilot and martial arts trainer.
    • She is one of the first women to be hired as a pilot by an American airline.
    • Her mother passed away in 2014 and her father died in 2018, 9 days before his 91st birthday due to heart failure.
    • She has a son named Cory Patton.

    What is Valerie Walker Doing Now?

    Walker now works at Raptor Tactical Martial Arts for USCCA Academy. She is also a former instructor at WestWind Karate. At present, Valerie resides in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States.

    Walker Is A Pilot By Profession

    Clint Walker’s daughter was an accomplished pilot. She was one of the first female pilots who was hired by Western Airlines on March 8, 1976. During that time, the military didn’t accept females into aviation but because of her determination and hard work, Valerie was accepted as a first-class pilot.

    Furthermore, she became a flight instructor, and police aerial patrol pilot in fixed wings and helicopters. Walker was a DC-3 bush pilot in Botswana and South Africa. Similarly, she was assigned to be a Flight Test Pilot for Plane & Pilot and Air Progress magazines.

    Valerie Walker is a retired Delta Airlines pilot.
    Walker, a former pilot and martial arts trainer.

    The 72-year-old was a pilot for years and performed several freelance aviation jobs. Likewise, after working for Western Airlines for many years, she landed a job at Delta Airlines and retired as a captain for the 727, 737, 757, and 767.

    Walker Shared Her Thoughts Regarding The 2009 Air France Jet Crash

    On June 1, 2009, an Air France Jet crashed after a catastrophic chain of events that lasted for almost 5 minutes killing 228 people in the process. Many believed that the crash occurred because it might have been struck by lightning.

    However, the retired airline Captain Valerie didn’t think so. According to her, the accident might have occurred because of two possible reasons; the plane went through severe turbulence or it might have been because of the design of the Airbus.

    Valerie Walker shared her thoughts on plane crashes.
    She shared her thoughts on plane crashes.

    Likewise, she shared her thoughts during a San Franciso plane crash in 2013. Reports suggested that the crash occurred because of the negligence of the pilots who failed to realize was dangerously low and flying pretty slow. Matter of fact, the pilot only had 43 hours of experience in flying a Boeing 777.

    In an interview, Walker stated that passengers must take the pilots’ names and search in the FAA database. But she also said that the records may not help because no one knows what the pilots have flown and how much experience they have gained.

    According to her, negligent and drunken pilots should be immediately fired or put in jail.

    Her Career As A Martial Arts Trainer

    While working as a pilot Clint’s daughter had the opportunity to learn a variety of martial arts disciplines. Valerie became a first-degree black belt holder in Kenpo Karate.

    Not only that, but she also honed her skills in Wing Chun, Aikido, Kendo, Jiu Jitsu, and Hapkido. After 9/11, she had the opportunity to learn from Special Forces instructors in hand-to-hand combat, firearm retention, and shoot/don’t situations.

    Clint's daughter Valerie
    Valerie is a former martial arts trainer.

    Because of her martial arts background and her recent training, Mrs. Walker started to develop various combinations following the basic principles of her training.

    She wanted to teach other crew members to survive several dire situations like terrorist attacks and such. In one of her blogs, Valerie mentioned that her goal was to develop a 10-minute briefing for others to tackle

    “My goal was to develop a 10-minute briefing for flight crews with no martial arts backgrounds yet who might encounter a terrorist situation. An airplane isn’t a politely scripted martial arts dojo. It’s a place where an unexpected real life-or-death situation can occur which requires us to be situationally aware and employ a few tools that are easily remembered.” 

    Likewise, after retiring from Delta Airlines, Walker started teaching martial arts. And in the same blog, she also mentions that she still trains and is still eager to learn new techniques.

    When Was Valerie Walker Born? Her Childhood

    Valerie was born on 9 September 1950 in Illinois United States. She is the daughter of Clint Walker and Verna Graver. Her zodiac sign is Virgo.

    She was raised in her hometown but later moved to Long Beach California with her parents where her father worked as a port security guard and nightclub bouncer. Similarly, a couple of years later, they relocated to Las Vegas.

    Walker’s Parents Were Married For 20 Years

    Her mom and dad were married for 20 years. The couple walked down the aisle on 5 September 1948 in a private wedding ceremony surrounded by close friends and family members.

    They were having a blast in the marriage and their happiness quadrupled after they gave birth to their only daughter, Valerie two years later in 1950.

    Everything was going as planned but like every marriage has ups and downs their marriage was also going through a similar phase. However, they couldn’t overcome the challenges and decided to part ways two decades later in 1968.

    Valerie Walker's parents Clint Walker and Verna Garver.
    Valerie’s mother and father were married for 20 years.

    After their divorce, Verna decided to live with Valerie who was 18 at the time. Whereas, her ex-hubby was married twice.

    Is Valerie Married? Who Is Her Husband?

    Yes, Valerie is a married woman. However, unlike her professional life, her personal life especially the details regarding her marriage remains behind closed doors. She hasn’t shared any specifics regarding her wedding and hubby.

    That being said, we know for sure that she is a mother of a son named Cory Patton. He is 36 years old as of 2023.

    Valerie Walker’s Net Worth

    The former pilot has an estimated net worth of $500,000 which she has earned from her career in aviation and martial arts. On the other hand, Valerie’s late father Clint Walker had a total fortune of $4 million thanks to his 44 years of acting career.

    FAQs

    What happened to Valerie Walker?

    Clint Walker’s daughter Valerie is still alive and well. She now lives in Salt Lake County, Utah.

    Quick Facts
    Full Name Valerie J. Walker
    Popular Name Captain Valerie Walker
    Birth Place Illinois United States
    Birthday September 9, 1950
    Age 73 years
    Nationality American
    Ethnicity White
    Father Clint Walker
    Mother Verna Garver
    Profession Pilot (retired), Martial Arts Instructor
    Net Worth $500,000
    Height 5 feet 7 inches
    Weight 59
    Eye Color Brown
    Hair Color Blonde
    Relationship Status Single
    Children Cory Patton