William Walker

William "Sonny" Walker, a cheerful leader involved in a host of Atlanta civic causes, passed away on June 14 after a brief illness, according to family members. Walker, 82 was a civil rights activist, educator, nonprofit executive, entrepreneur and mentor to many. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 24, at Second Baptist Church on 1706 John Barrow Road. Walker's eldest child, Cheryl, described her father "as one of the nation's pioneer civil rights activists and a man who cared deeply about the welfare of other people, his family and his community. He opened doors and left them open for people to come through." Walker was born on December 13, 1933, in Pine Bluff, Ark. As a child, he was a member of the Boy Scouts of America and participated in numerous school activities, including talent shows, the gospel choir, drama and speech organizations and sports. He excelled at football, basketball, baseball and track and was known for his unique ability to kick a football barefoot. He graduated from Merrill High School and received a bachelor's degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, where he majored in English and History and was president of the Spotlight Club (Drama Society) and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. After college, he went on to teach in Arkansas Public Schools. Walker continued his education at Arizona State University, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Arkansas, and The Federal Executive Institute, receiving graduate degrees in school counseling and school administration. He would later receive several honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees. In the wake of the Brown v. Board U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Walker and his lifetime friend and professional peer Ozell Sutton, worked together to help prepare the African American students known as the Little Rock Nine to integrate Little Rock Central High in 1957, including transporting the courageous teenagers to and from school. Earnest Green stated that "as his student teacher, Walker gave him the energy and courage to go to Central High School." Because of that experience, Walker was tapped to manage the campaign of T.E. Patterson, the first African American to be elected to the Arkansas School Board. In 1965, Walker started the Crusade for Opportunity, one of the first Head Start programs in the U.S. and then began serving as director of the Economic Opportunity Agency of Little Rock and Pulaski County. Throughout that time, he worked to promote integration of everything – from television news anchors to the local chapter of the United States Junior Chamber. In 1969, he began serving as Governor Winthrop Rockefeller's head of the Arkansas State Economic Opportunity Office. He was the first African American to hold such a position in a Southern Governor's cabinet. Sonny moved in 1972 to Atlanta, where he began serving as a division director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Renewal. In 1976, he became a member of the board of directors for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, where he worked closely with Coretta Scott King and eventually became one of her speechwriters. He also worked with Mrs. King and the King Holiday Commission to establish Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a national and state holiday. Walker later served as Executive Director of The King Center, focusing his efforts on developing the operational and financial strength of the organization. He was an active member of Friendship Baptist Church and involved in many community, education and civic organizations. He has also received numerous awards, including the Community Service Award from the Atlanta Business League, the Distinguished Community Service Award from the National Urban League, the Outstanding Public Servant in the State of Georgia Award from the Georgia Senate and House of Representatives, and the Lyndon B. Johnson Award from the National Association of Community Action Agencies. Walker is preceded in death by his mother, Mary Coleman; father, the Rev. James David Walker; stepmother, Nettie Harris Walker, who with his father helped raise him; and grandson Jayson Walker. In addition to his daughter Cheryl, Walker is survived by his other three children: James "Jimmy" Walker (Stephanie), William L. "Bill" Walker Jr. (Sharon), and Lesli Walker-Williams, all of Little Rock, Ark.; six grandchildren: Brent Mitchell, Delvin Walker, Darius Walker, Harrison Williams, Mia Williams, and Alyson Walker; 18 great-grandchildren; and a host of other relatives, friends and neighbors he knew throughout his life. Services are entrusted to Premier Funeral Home; 1518 S. Battery St., Little Rock, Ark. 501-376-4800. "Only Heaven Can Serve You Better". The body will lie in State from 1-4 p.m at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations may be made to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.