Born in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood, Walter was raised in Milton, a town he continues to call home.  He witnessed first-hand as a small child his family’s civic duty and call to service in the community by watching his dad, Walter Jr., who served as a Town of Milton selectman and became the Norfolk County Superior Court Clerk. He also watched his uncle, Joe, a Boston City Councilor, where he served from 1967 to 1972, become elected to the Massachusetts State Senate in 1972, serving for 13 years.