Willard Walker papers

Collection

Identifier: 2010-012

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This is a preliminary box and folder inventory of the Willard Walker papers. The collection primarily includes materials on professional writing and talks, course materials and correspondence. The collection includes some newspapers, newsletters and magazines for Native American groups.

Dates

Creation: 1963-2005

Creator

Walker, Willard (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

University records - Copyright held by Wesleyan University; all other copyright is retained by the creator - In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted

Biographical / Historical

Willard "Bill" B. Walker, (July 29, 1926 - May 23, 2009)

Born in Boston, raised in Hingham, MA
Educated at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA, class of 1944
Served in the American Field Service in 1945 during World War II
Received a BA in English literature from Harvard in 1950
Married C. Pearline (Large) Walker, October 18, 1952, in Tucson, Ariz.
Received MA in anthropology from University of Arizona in 1953
Moved to Maine in 1953 and bought a tree farm in Canaan, named Battle Ridge Tree Farm
Moved to Ithaca, NY in 1959; received his Ph.D. in language and literature, linguistics from Cornell University in 1964. Dissertation titled: Reference, taxonomy and inflection in Zuni.
Came to Wesleyan in 1966 as an assistant professor
Established the anthropology department with David McAllester
Taught courses on the ethnography of the southwest, the southeast, and the northeast; maintained a curricular focus on linguistic anthropology
Continued as one of the mainstays of the Wesleyan Anthropology Department for more than two decades.
Retired from teaching in 1990

Throughout his professional life Professor Walker maintained his involvement with his tree farm in Canaan, ME. He and his son Christopher were awarded "Outstanding Tree Farm" by the state of Maine in 2004.

His passions in life were his tree farm and anthropology. In his obituary he is remembered as "a kind and generous man who will always be loved"; ". . . a very accomplished man, who was never boastful."

Extent

10 Linear Feet (10 paige boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Willard B. Walker helped establish the Anthropology department at Wesleyan and on the faculty there for more than 20 years. His specialty was the linguistics of Native American groups. These papers document his professional research, writing and teaching.