Deceased July 16, 2021
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In Memory
Al Walker was a phenomenally consequential welcomer of me to Amherst when I transferred in my junior year. We shared many appreciations over our two years together, among them early-morning coffees at Valentine, bookended with late-night coffees wherever we might find them and post-class comparisons of the hours in between. He was perhaps one of Amherst’s best ambassadors for transfers. He introduced me to his dad’s Yale campus on several visits together. He introduced me to Phi Gam and a whole new spin on campus living. He introduced me to that community of friends and to Paul Morgan ’69 and Bill Kelly ’68, who have remained friends through the years—especially important for one not part of the bondings of freshmen and sophomore years together.
Al was literally a gentle giant, huge in stature, diminutive in ego, the proverbial teddy bear. I never heard a critical word from him with malignant intent. He was smart, incisive and thoughtful, and as much I was inclined to diminish and malign those with whom I took issue, Al was magnanimous; I think he never yielded to blame, preferring understanding. His future in doctoring made all of the sense of the world as it should be.
I think he and I may have agreed that some of our favorite times together were hours and hours dabbling in photography. We would amble out in the sunset hours searching for photo- worthy landscapes, pondscapes, moonlit architecture—or, in the wee small hours of the morning, for sunrises, fogginess and moonsets. These outings resulted in us side by side in the 24/7 campus darkroom at all hours, celebrating our presumed delusional creativity.
Al toned me down, lifted me up and inspired me. He was a major influence in defining my Amherst experience.
—Richard Lewis ’68