Papers of Ronald W. Walker

Collection

Identifier: URWW

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Papers of Ronald W. Walker consists of documents dated 1969 to 1972 and 1995 to 1999. The collection includes letters to his family and sister from Germany about his experiences while there on a Fulbright Fellowship. Letters to his family and sister and slides and negatives of Vietnam during his service in the U.S. Army are also present.

Dates

Creation: 1969-1999
Creation: Majority of material found within 1970-1972

Creator

Walker, Ronald W. (Person)

Restrictions on Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Restrictions on Use

Not all of the material in the collection is in the public domain. Researchers are responsible for addressing copyright issues.

Biography

Ronald W. Walker was a professor of German at Colorado State University (CSU) from 1979 until his death on October 6, 1995.

Walker was born on January 24, 1947, to John Frank Walker and Clementine Melton Walker in Marysville, Tennessee. He graduated cum laude from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1969 with a bachelor's degree in history and political science with minors in French and German. A Fulbright Fellowship to Bonn, West Germany, followed from 1969 to 1970. After a student deferment for the fellowship, Walker was drafted and served with the United States Army from 1970 to 1972, rising to sergeant with the First Battalion, Seventh Cavalry, in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN). He received the Air Medal, the Bronze Star for heroism in ground combat, the Bronze Star First Oak Leaf Cluster for meritorious achievement in ground operations, and the Army Commendation Medal for heroism.

In 1975, Walker received a master's degree in German language and literature from the University of Tennessee. In 1978, he received a Ph.D. in German philology and medieval languages from Ohio State University where he also taught for a year. He joined the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature at CSU in 1979 and became an associate professor. Walker received the 1991 Southwest Conference on Language Teaching "Excellence in Teaching Award" and his department's 1995 "Outstanding Professor Award." He was involved with the Colorado Congress of Foreign Language Teachers (CCFLT) for 13 years and served as executive secretary/treasurer and editor of both of its publications. He was awarded honors in 1994 for dedicated service to CCFLT.

Walker was married to Celia Walker and had two daughters, Emily and Amanda.

Extent

2 linear feet (2 document cases, 1 flat box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Ronald W. Walker (1947-1995) was a professor of German at Colorado State University (CSU) from 1979 to 1995. After receiving his bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1969, he spent a year in Germany on a Fulbright Fellowship. Upon returning to the United States, Walker was drafted into the U.S. Army following a student deferment and fought in the Vietnam War. The collection documents his time in Germany, basic training, and Vietnam. Included in the collection are letters, slides, negatives, and newspaper obituaries following his death in 1995.

Arrangement

The collection consists of 3 series in 2 document cases and 1 flat box:

Series 1: Letters, 1969-1972, 1999 and undated

Subseries 1.1: Letters to family, 1969-1972

Subseries 1.2: Letters to Alma Walker Wade, 1969-1972, 1999

Series 2: Slides and negatives, 1970-1972

Series 3: Newspaper obituaries, 1995-1996

Acquisition

The Papers of Ronald W. Walker was donated to Archives and Special Collections by his spouse, Celia Walker, on November 20, 2017.

Online Materials

Some materials have been scanned and are available through the Colorado State University Libraries website. In the electronic version of this document, direct links appear in context.

Related Collections

The Vietnam War Literature Manuscript Collection (MVWC) includes accounts of Americans fighting in Vietnam. The Vietnam War Literature Collection in Archives and Special Collections consists of literature written on all aspects of the Vietnam War.

Processing

Processing was completed in December 2017. Letters to Walker's sister, Alma Walker Wade, were removed from a binder, and all materials were rehoused in acid-free folders and boxes. Negatives and slides were resleeved and papers that were not photocopies were interleaved with acid-free paper.