Walter William Fondren Sr. (June 6, 1877 – January 5, 1939) was an American oil industry businessperson and philanthropist in Texas.

[1] By the time Fondren was twenty, he translated his knowledge of drilling water wells on farms to the oilfields of Corsicana, Texas.

[1] Fondren died on January 5, 1939, in San Antonio, Texas while attending a Methodist conference.

[1] In 1946, the family granted $1 million to Rice University to build the Walter W. Fondren Library.

Under Ella's management, the foundation funded new construction for facilities at hospitals and institutions of higher learning.