Outstanding in basketball and baseball, Walls began his athletic career at Harbor High School. He lives in retirement at Tucson and at 83, is the oldest of the Hall inductees for the "Class of 1991".
After high school, Walls played third base for Camden in the Maine Seacoast League. His next stop was Kents Hill School where he captained the basketball team that won the Maine Prep School championship. Walls was chosen as a member of the New England East Coast Prep School All-Stars.
After leaving Kents Hill, Walls played on several Maine semipro teams. In 1933 he became the property of the Boston Braves and was sent to Harrisburg, Pa., in the New York-Penn League.
in a letter home, Walls described the experience: "We have 75 men out for the team this spring. The first day out there were 59 men.
From these, 15 were to be chosen and there were from four to 25 for each position.
You can see how the competition is here. It looks doubtful as to whether a "rookie " can make the grade this year. Nearly all of last years men are returning and a rookie's chances are about 50 to one against him.
Walls earned $37.50 per week playing with Harrisburg. At Manchester he was paid $25 per week. Subsequent stops along the professional trail included New Bedford in the Northeastern League, back to Harrisburg, and on to Manchester in the Northeastern League. Always solid at the plate, the maintained a .300 average.
The pay was low but there was a bonus in New Bedford-he met his future wife Gertrude. When the league folded the next season, Walls joined the J.E. Mc Elwain Shoe Co. team in Manchester. Teammates included acquaintances from the old Northeastern League.
Wails recalls playing against teams from Maine, New Hampshire and Mass.. After three years, he retired from baseball to devote time to his family.
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