2019 -- H 5279

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LC001191

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXTENDING SINCERE CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF DR. KENNETH R.

WALKER, SR.

     Introduced By: Representatives Mattiello, Shekarchi, Williams, McNamara, and Abney

     Date Introduced: February 05, 2019

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, It is with deep sadness that this House has learned of the passing of Dr.

Kenneth R. Sr., Walker, beloved husband to Gail Walker for 63 years, the devoted father of three

children, Michele Walker-Angell and her husband, David, Leanne Walker-Beard and her

husband, Jeffrey, and Kenneth R. Walker, Jr., and the proud grandfather of six grandchildren; and

     WHEREAS, The retired Chairman and longest serving member of the state Parole Board,

Dr. Walker had served a total of 34 years on the Board and passionately believed in giving people

a second chance in life; and

     WHEREAS, Kenneth Walker was born and raised in the City of East Providence, the son

of the late Frank Walker and Lillian Walker, and the brother of Arline Walker, Frank R. Walker,

III, and his wife, Jane, and the late Leonard E. Walker and Ronald Walker. He graduated from

Providence College and continued his education, earning his M.Ed. from Rhode Island College,

and a Ph.D. from Boston University. He was a teacher, coach, guidance counselor, and

administrator in the East Providence public school system and subsequently became a professor

of Education at Rhode Island College and Johnson & Wales University; and

     WHEREAS, During his tenure at Rhode Island College, Dr. Walker directed the Teacher

Corps, a program geared towards raising the quality of education for low-income students and

served as Director of urban education; and

     WHEREAS, Earning the love and respect of his peers, Dr. Walker had received the 1980

NAACP Freedom Fund Award in Education and the National Alumni Association's Exemplary

Citizenship Award in 1993. He was also a former president of Big Brothers of Rhode Island, and

had served on the president's council for many years; and

     WHEREAS, In 2008, the Dr. Kenneth R. Walker Family Scholarship Fund was

established in his name to provide financial support for African-American students majoring in

education at Providence College; and

     WHEREAS, Dr. Walker had also been a referee in the Interscholastic League, and was

one of the first African-Americans to referee high-school basketball games in Rhode Island, as

well as at Atlantic 10 and Big East college games. At heart, he was a true Friar who often traveled

with the team and is remembered by many at PC "for his work as a mentor to countless faculty,

staff, and students over the years"; and

     WHEREAS, Dr. Kenneth Walker devoted his life to helping others. He was a genuine

and dignified man and a true leader who made a significant difference in the lives of so many

people at Providence College and in the State of Rhode Island and he will he truly missed; now,

therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby extends its deepest sympathies on the passing of Dr. Kenneth

Walker; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mrs. Gail Walker and Family.

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