WALKER, Lewis 1936-

PERSONAL:

Born October 22, 1936, in Selma, AL; son of Joseph and Thelma (maiden name, Watts; later surname, Freeman) Walker; married Georgia Doles, April 18, 1964. Ethnicity: "African American." Education: Wilberforce University, A.B., 1959; Ohio State University, M.A., 1961, Ph.D., 1964. Politics: Independent. Religion: Protestant. Hobbies and other interests: Magic.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—3080 Sixth St. S, Kalamazoo, MI 49009. E-mail—lewis.walker@wmich.edu.

CAREER:

Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, professor of sociology, 1964-99, professor emeritus, 1964-99, department chair, 1989-99, director of Self-Enhancement Services Office (minority retention program), 1987-89. National Science Institute in Sociology for High School Teachers, professor, summers, 1966-73, director, 1973; National Science Institute for High School Teachers of the Social Sciences, professor, summer, 1974; presenter of workshops on the techniques of intercultural adjustment and race relations, mid-1960s through late 1980s. Patented inventor, affiliated with Joseph Gamell Industries, Inc. (now Differential Flow Systems, Inc. and Turbine Tork, Inc.). Goodwill Industries, member of board of directors; Kalamazoo Criminal Justice Commission, vice chair; Community Corrections Advisory Board, vice chair; also served on Midwest Adolescent Substance Abuse Advisory Board.

MEMBER:

Phi Kappa Phi.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Presidential Appreciation Award, Western Michigan University, 1996; the Lewis Walker Institute for Race and Ethnic Relations at Western Michigan University was named in his honor, 2000; the Dr. Lewis Walker Community Service for Social Justice Youth Award was named in his honor by the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan, 2001.

WRITINGS:

(With Erickson and Bryan) Social Change, Conflict, and Education, Charles Merrill Publishing (Columbus, OH), 1972.

(With Chester L. Hunt) Ethnic Dynamics: Patterns of Intergroup Relations in Various Societies, Dorsey Press (Homewood, IL), 1972, 2nd edition, Learning Publications (Kalamazoo, MI), 1979.

(Editor, with Thomas VanValey and Sue S. Crull, and contributor) Proceedings of the 10th Conference on Small City and Regional Community, University of Wisconsin Foundation Press (Madison, WI), 1993.

(With Benjamin C. Wilson and Linwood H. Cousins) African Americans in Michigan, Michigan State University Press (East Lansing, MI), 2001.

(With Benjamin C. Wilson) Black Eden: The Idlewild Community, Michigan State University Press (East Lansing, MI), 2002.

Contributor to books, including Ethnicity and Ethnic Relations in Canada: A Book of Readings, edited by Jay E. Goldstein and Rita M. Bienvenue, Butterworth (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1980, revised edition, 1985; and Research on Race and Ethnic Relations,Volume 5, edited by Cora B. Marrett, JAI Press (Greenwich, CT), 1988. Contributor to academic journals, including American Sociological Review, Educational Administration Quarterly, Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, Juvenile and Family Court Journal, and Journal of Developing Societies.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

The Great Southern Migration; research on "reparation issues and African Americans."

SIDELIGHTS:

Lewis Walker told CA: "My primary motivation for writing is to make a contribution to my discipline, especially where there appears to be a gap in our knowledge. My work has been influenced by my mentors in sociology, especially Brewton Berry and Walter Reckless.

"In writing manuscripts on virtually any topic, I use what I call the 'question method.' Specifically, I write a lengthy list of questions and decide which of them are most pertinent and interesting to the topic. I then research the questions and use the information to answer them.

"The Black Eden book was written because there is so little written about this important aspect of Black Americana, a black community that was started by a small group of white men for the 'best' of the 'colored group.'

"From 1971 to the present, I have been one of the prime movers behind an idea to seek out the creative genius in the minority communities and to apply that genius to the development of new technology in order to create businesses and small industries in areas of high unemployment. To this end, we have been able to acquire more than twenty United States patents and have developed several prototypes, one of which is a high-speed turbine engine, and another of which is a cathodic generator. Two patents have been issued to me, followed by three certificates of copyright registration for pictorial and text creation."