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Thinking about proposing a session on retirement for the next ARLIS conference, I pulled out the 2003 Baltimore conference program. Bill was part of the panel for the session: As Time Goes by: Retirement! Or Life After Full-time. I remember his joy in being an artist as showed images of many of his paintings and talked about his process and inspiration. I expect that's the last time that many of us saw him. I do have one other memory to share, although details are fuzzy. Through a fundraising raffle, I had won $100 off dinner at a restaurant, I believe it was in Washington. I needed someone to go with me, and asked Bill as we had dined together at some previous conferences. He graciously agreed, as long as I would let him pay for the wine. Ever the connoisseur, he chose well, and I remember the wine ending up costing more than the rest of the dinner. Daniel, thank you for your message. Would you be sure that John gets a copy of all of our remembrances? Carol Carol Terry Rhode Island School of Design 1987-2016 Carol Terry [log in to unmask] On Mon, Feb 27, 2017 at 12:20 PM, Chris Mees < [log in to unmask]> wrote: > > I’d just like to say how very sad I was to read about the death of Bill > Walker. I have very fond memories of the first time I met him. > It was back in 1987 and I had recently left my job as an art librarian to > launch Design and Applied Arts Index. In those days (pre WWW) > it came out only in print format. In a push to acquire subscribers in > there States, I flew to New York and over a period of two days trekked > around all the major academic, public and museum libraries hawking my > index like an encyclopaedia salesman. I didn’t make any appointments > but just turned up unannounced and asked if I could show my product to the > appropriate librarian. The first place I visited was the Met Library. > Despite no doubt being extremely busy, Bill Watson not only agreed to see > me, but invited me to tea. He was so kind, courteous and generous > with his time. Many a person in his position would no doubt have refused > to see me and shown me the door, but instead he examined the index there > and then, and asked what my plans were for the future. At the end of our > meeting, which must have been at least half an hour, he told me that he > was sufficiently impressed with the index and would be placing an order. > This was the first subscriber to DAAI in the States. > > Someone later told me the he was a "true Southern gentleman” and he > certainly was that. In fact I think he was one of the kindest people I have > met. > It was his words of encouragement at that first meeting that persuaded me > to continue with the enterprise, for which I will be forever grateful. > > Chris Mees > Editor – Arts: Search > > > > From: ARLIS/NA List <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Daniel Starr < > [log in to unmask]> > Reply-To: Daniel Starr <[log in to unmask]> > Date: Sunday, 26 February 2017 13:33 > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: [ARLIS-L] Bill Walker > > 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 > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > 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] > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > 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] > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~