Who is Whittlin' Walt from The Man Who Loved Clowns and what is their importance?

Whittlin' Walt is the master carver who works at Silver Dollar City, Missouri. As a master carver, he is also Delrtia's idol, and she always looks forward to visiting his studio to see what he's been working on. Whittlin' Walt has the unfortunate job of informing Delrita that her parents have died, and when he delivers the news, he slips Delrita a block of wood with the message, "Life is like an untouched block of wood. We can carve out a beautiful niche for ourselves, or we can leave it unused and unproductive on a shelf" (p.117).