I asked Walter about this when I was a grad student at University of Hawaii. He and his wife Mary Ellen would visit regularly and I was attempting to make small

I asked Walter about this when I was a grad student at University of Hawaii. He and his wife Mary Ellen would visit regularly and I was attempting to make small talk at a pau hana party. He said he made an effort to find the shortest proofs of all the basic theorems so students could get to the more interesting results quicker.