October 19, 2017
An outpouring of love for educator-humanitarian
Dr. Kenneth Walker ’57 & ’83Hon., a longtime educator and a former Rhode Island Parole Board leader, was honored at a campus reception for his dedication to urban youth and education and to celebrate a scholarship fund established in his name. More than 100 members of the College community, friends, family members, and former colleagues attended.
Walker was a teacher, coach, guidance counselor, and administrator in the East Providence public school system. He later became a professor of secondary education at Rhode Island College and an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Education at Johnson & Wales University. He served on the R.I. Parole Board for 34 years, including six as chair, earning a reputation for his fairness and compassion.
The Dr. Kenneth Walker ’57 Family Scholarship Fund, which provides financial support for African-American students majoring in education at PC, was established in his honor in 2008 by longtime friend John Murphy. The founder of Home Loan Investment Bank, FSB, in Warwick, R.I., Murphy said he created the fund out of gratitude for the thousands of people Walker inspired.
Walker serves on the College’s Providence President’s Council. He received the National Alumni Association’s Exemplary Citizenship Award in 1993.
