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Re: [ARLIS-L] Bill Walker

What can I say to do Bill Walker justice? He was a prince, a friend of nearly five decades, as true a gentleman as I have ever known.

In 1970-1971, when Judy Hoffberg set out to found a new organization for art librarians, he was one of her two or three most effective and committed champions.

He was a force for good in all respects, and an artist. I have long had a fantasy that the stones of the Met gave a sigh of satisfaction when he took over the Watson Library.

Rest well, dear Bill. You lived a life few of us can match.

Larry

And thankk you, Daniel, for taking on the burden of delivering such unwelcome news.

I'm sad to report that William Bond Walker died on February 22 at the age of 86 after a long illness. He was a founding member of ARLIS/NA and our third President. He was also the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for 1991.

Bill began his career as Librarian-Trainee at the Donnell Branch of the New York Public Library in 1955. He was Reference Librarian/Cataloger at the Metropolitan Museum Art from 1957-1959, Chief Librarian of the Brooklyn Museum's Art Reference Library, 1959-1964, Supervisory Librarian at the National Collection of Fine Arts and National Portrait Gallery Library, Smithsonian Institution,1964-1980, and the Arthur K. Watson Chief Librarian of Thomas J. Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum Art, 1980-1994. He retired in 1994.

He received his B.A. at the State University of Iowa in Iowa City in 1953 and his M.L.S from Rutgers University in 1958. He was an avid painter and exhibited widely, including at the Art and Music Library of the University of Rochester and the Carrie Haddad Gallery in Hudson, New York.

Bill is survived by his long-time partner John Balkema, Kimball Farms Lifecare Community, 235 Walker St, Lenox, MA 01240.

He will be remembered fondly by many whose life he touched, not only for his professional activities and sound advice, but also for his unfailing graciousness. The first words many of us heard from him early in our careers were, "Hello, my name is Bill Walker," along with a big smile and a firm handshake.

Daniel Starr

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Laurence McGilvery
Post Office Box 852
La Jolla, California 92038-0852, USA
(858) 454-4443
www.mcgilvery.com
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Mail submissions to [log in to unmask] For information about joining ARLIS/NA see: http://www.arlisna.org/membership/join-arlisna Send administrative matters (file requests, subscription requests, etc) to [log in to unmask] ARLIS-L Archives and subscription maintenance: http://lsv.arlisna.org Questions may be addressed to list owner (Judy Dyki) at: [log in to unmask]
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