Walker, Willard Brewer

Willard B. Walker was born on July 29, 1926, in Boston, the son of William H.C. Walker and Helen F. Brewer. He grew up in Hingham, MA and attended Philips Academy. After graduating in 1944 Walker volunteered with the American Field Service and was sent to Italy in January 1945 with unit CM 94.  He was transferred to India-Burma in July 1945 with unit IB 59-T, and was posted to No. 2 Company until October 1945.

After the war Willard Walker graduated from Harvard (Class of 1950), earned a Master’s Degree in Anthropology from the University of Arizona (1953), and a Ph.D. from Cornell (1964).  A specialist in Native American languages and cultures, he was Chairman of the Department of Anthropology and Linguistics at Wesleyan University.  He married C. Pearline “Perch” Walker in 1953.  The couple had two sons, Christopher and Andrew.

Willard B. Walker passed away on May 23, 2009, in Skowhegan, Maine.