Dr. James Walker, 1984

A native of Indianapolis, Dr. Walker come to Urbana in 1947 to join the staff at Carle Clinic. He arrived in Champaign, a young man thirty years of age, after four and a half years in the South Pacific during World War II and specialty training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. His entire medical practice was spent at Carle Clinic. He was especially proud not only of his professional achievements, but the growth and success of the Clinic, of which he was board chairman at age fifty. During his career he also prepared and delivered scientific papers and was active in all specialty groups. He always valued his family, including his grandson, Scott. His interests included photography, stamp collecting, and sports, notably golf, bowling, and fishing. He has golfed and fished all over the world. During his lifetime he has seen tremendous advances in medicine, notably treatments for infections, pneumonia, and polio. In 1978 he was diagnosed as having Alzheimer's Disease. He took early retirement and his primary concerns in the early 1980s were his fear of the future and what may be a long decline in mental health.

Source: Raymond Bial, There is a Season, Champaign County Nursing Home, 1984.