MAN of Influence

and Community

Action

Dr. William “Sonny”

Walker

MAN of Influence

and Community

Action

Dr. William “Sonny”

Walker

Friend to Thousands Montage 2

Enjoying Opportunites to Serve 3

Humble Beginnings 5

1960’s A Challenging Time for Young William Sonny Walker 8

One Dynamic Career 12

Affliations That… 16

…Reflect Greatness 16

Publications That Have Referred to His Greatness 16

…Cause Notoriety 17

Honors and Awards 17

Dr. Walker’s Honorary Degrees 18

Past Professional Affliations 18 & 19

Legacy and Leadership 20

Fighting the War on Poverty 22

Serving With Influential Leaders Colleagues and Friends 24

Contents

The Vitae of Dr. William “Sonny’ WalkerAuthorized by The Board of the Fulton Atlanta Community Atlanta Authority, Inc.

and the Family of Dr. William “Sonny” Walker

To learn more about the prolific life of Dr. Walker, click here: https://youtu.be/v3RaLVlNQSE

Composed by Dr. Joyce J. DorseyEdited by Ms. Kristian Belton

designs by Stacey, Inc. Graphic Design by Designs by Stacey, Inc.Graphic Designer: Stacey M. Nealwww.designsbystaceyinc.com

Friend to Thousands, Maker of

Leaders, Organizer of Major

Organizations, Promoter of Change

and Improvement, Lover of Justice

and Service to the Less than Fortunate, and

Servant of His Lord and Savior

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Friend to Thousands, Maker of

Leaders, Organizer of Major

Organizations, Promoter of Change

and Improvement, Lover of Justice

and Service to the Less than Fortunate, and

Servant of His Lord and Savior

3

EnJOyIng OPPOrTunITIES TOServe

4

T o many people, Wednesday is known as HUMP DAY…..two down and two more to

go! But, Wednesday, December 13, 1933 was no ordinary “hump day” to Reverend James David Walker and Mary Coleman. This day would prove to be different because their son, William “Sonny” Walker was born and at the same hour, so was his greatness!! William was delivered by a midwife, named Ms. Hattie in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Little Sonny (as he was affectionately nick-named) toddled into the hearts of the entire family as he was raised by his father, grandmother and influenced by his "extended family"...the church.

By the time he was eight years old, his father had married Nettie Harris Walker andthis nurturing woman became the central mother figure who, along with Rev. Walker raised him.

Humble Beginnings

One could rightfully say that he was a special young fella

and possibly real “spoiled”.

During his childhood,. Sonny participated in the Cub Scotts and Boy Scouts of America giving him a basic understanding about

obedience and structure. He played nearly every sport

on the field or in the streets with his friends. Young William attend-

ed multiple schools during his Elementary years however, he always made mention of his love for his kindergarten teachers, Ms. Wiley and Ms. Robinson. He attended Greenville Elementary School from grades 1st through 3rd and Missouri Street Elementary School from grades 3rd through 6th. There were no middle schools during those days; so grades 7-12 were completed at Meryle High School

where he was very active and performed in school talent shows sports of

all sorts, not to mention other social events which made him extremely popular.

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Sonny was influenced by his first cousin’s singing and actually sang melodiously in

the choir and during his stint as a radio disc jockey.

Aside from his activities in High School, Sonny was very active member of each of his father’s churches (Rev. James David

Walker pastored several churches during this time and Young Sonny often

attended and participated as a son should do). He was a member of the Baptist Young People’s Union and a Royal Ambassador and the choirs of Mt. Harmony Missionary Baptist Church, Mount Moriah and Union Baptist Churches. It was quite normal to find Sonny and most members of any one of the churches in worship, bible studies or preparation for a revival. Their motto was “faith built on God!” As an active usher and choir member, Walker was a leader for other youth in the congregation.

Perhaps, it was his undeniable

leadership abilities that drew others to him and prepared him for a strong position in the

community and the future occupations god had planned

for him!

A well developed athlete in high school, Sonny participated in every sport there was to master throughout his high school years; including football, basketball, baseball and track. He was a member of the Drama Society, Gospel Choir and Drama and Speech Organizations which equipped him as a competitive member of the debate team. During the summer High School

vacations, Sonny visited Agricultural Mechanical & Normal College (AMNC)

and was able to learn about the programs, yearning for the collegiate campus life. William traveled extensively throughout

High School with the South Western Athletic Conference due to his noteworthy, athletic

ability. When not traveling, he’d spend time

with his cousins in Chicago during the summer months just hanging out and building family relationships. A part of his bloodline was the Cook family of Chicago from which a very famous member, Sam became one of America’s most popular

song artists of his time. They were close and both were sons of

Baptist Ministers. Nearly everyone owned a recording of Sam

Cook, both gospel and popular “rock and roll”.

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Add to his church acquired talents, that of orator and even a bit of preaching. He possessed the talents of his father but never really thought of himself as pious enough to become a minister. This was not agreed upon by all of Sonny’s colleagues though. He is an intriguing speaker.

During his senior year of High School, Sonny was the “kicker” for his football team. He was known for kicking precisely and accurately with his bare foot. The team won many close calls because of the kicker. He graduated from Meryle High School in May, 1951 where he was ranked number six, academically, in his senior class.

After High School, Sonny enrolled in the Agricultural Mechanical & Normal College. While there, he majored in English & History. Sonny focused on his studies but also loved his involvement with many different clubs and organizations. This was the road to his great popularity and laid the path to a promising career… working

with people from all walks in life.

Maturing as would be expected, Sonny was the President of the

Spotlight Club (Drama Society) and also played football and

baseball. These activities caused vast popularity and probably his rise to prominence amongst his peers. During his sophomore year, he

was accept-ed into the

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

This affiliation made him very popular, especially amongst the females both on campus and in the city. One of his frater-nal duties was to keep the records for the organization. This task was a passion of his and his gift of remembering names and the personal accomplishments of every member was recognized and propelled him into dimensions of leadership that formed the basis of his success in all of his professional experience.

After football season, Sonny worked in the school’s library, 25 hours a week to earn extra money. Walker was a very hard worker and received much academic acclaim throughout his college years. During his junior year, he began to focus on preparation for attending law school, but his plans got changed when he fell in love with a young woman named Lorraine. The two love birds were married at the end of their junior year; shortly thereafter their first child, Cheryle was born. He was raised by his grandmother, stepmother and his father, given everything a child could want, and learned every lesson his Pastor-father taught him about church participation and stewardship. Of course,

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being a handsome and outgoing lad was appealing to everyone. Sonny Walker completed his college experience as a married man and father. and actualized his preparation for teaching and radio entertainment. Sonny loved his wife, Lorraine who was also a college student, and a DELTA at that! She loved his singing and his suaveness helped to strengthen the union. “I may not have done everything right because we were both quite young when we married.” “ I love the woman I married to this very day and did the best I knew how, using all the resources possible to provide for my wife and children.” In fact, this union produced three more children, James, William Jr. and Lesli. Sonny wanted only the best for Lorraine and conceded every asset available to make her happy.

1960’s A challengingtime for the young

William Sonny Walker He worked very hard to provide the absolute best for his family and spoiled his children “rotten” as the cliché goes. As an English major he was trained and qualified to Teach school at Horace Mann High School in Little Rock. By 1965, the young professional realized that there were real problems in that system…..commonly known as segregation.

At this time, Little Rock had experienced its share of racial tension with the “Little Rock Nine” saga and conflict in the neighborhoods which were common to many American cities. As a leader amongst the

teachers, William Walker confronted racism and outright unfairness and sparked a unified response to their. This matter exposed his leadership talent known as advocacy to some, or protest to others. He joined the leadership of T.A. Patterson and led the movement to gain equal rights. This, of course, mandated a change in his profession, leading to his work in the new “War on Poverty” initiatives. William Walker led the community in magnificent programs to improve the lives of his fellow residents and building programs. It was during the ‘60’s that young Walker rose to prominence. Young people like Linda Torrence got jobs that were considered as “firsts” and many families also rose economically to middle

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class and business ownership sta-tus. It was his great fortune to have a “best friend” by the name of Ozelle Sutton with whom he coordinated a movement that raised the Black community from poverty to middle class, and some to affluence. Much of this duo’s success was attributed to their bravery and close relationship with the Governor of Arkansas and Statesman, Mr. Winthrop Rockefeller. Sutton and Walker looked out for each other, worked as a team to facilitate change, and caused social, economic and racial change throughout the close-knit town of Pine Bluff, AK.

At home, Sonny spared no expenses to assure a quality of life for his family as he, himself, enjoyed while growing up. As a child, he confesses that he really never got over the absence of his mother.. He was very popular in Pine Bluff and Little Rock Arkansas and this enabled him to be recognized both by virtue of his intelligence and also by his popularity. Additionally, Sonny was a familiar sound over Little Rock’s Black-formatted radio station

KOKY. ‘SSS”…. Swing, Soothing, Sonny Boy… was it’s Sunday afternoon DJ where he hosted ‘record hops’ which attracted listeners from Little Rock’s surrounding communi-ties.…. And he used that opportunity to not only become well known and connected, but to be a recognized voice for his people who were suffering under oppressive racial discrimination in Arkansas and America’s South .

William grew up during the roughest times for Blacks in America. Poverty and segregation loomed in Arkansas as much as anywhere in the South as well as other parts of America. Those Blacks who had not migrated North

and West for better jobs, remained in their hometowns trying to make a difference while pursuing opportunities for a better life. Young Sonny was influenced by his father and members of the churches The Elder, Rev. Walker pastored to use his intellect to progress in society, and this Sonny did. It was his father’s way of handling life that would propel Sonny to excellence and a persona that enabled him to pull others up to a potential that elevated the community in which he lived. One might say that William Sonny Walker spoke with style, grace and melody…something like a ‘preacher man’. In his rise to credibility and local

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fame, Walker worked closely with Governor Winthrop Rockefeller as a Cabinet Member and Head of Several Departments of State. Along with his closest and lifelong friend, Ozelle Sutton, he was instrumen-tal in promoting or ushering in civil rights changes in Little Rock to improve race relations in his hometown and later, throughout the Southeast and other cities and communities in the United States. Black businesses grew, household incomes improved, race relations became positive and people’s lives changed, due to the work of Sonny Walker.

His experiences in his own home state served as the training for his strength in the art of community organizing which was sorely needed to bring people together to solve their own problems. Community organizing and empowerment became a signature goal of President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s prolific creation of the momentous

“War on Poverty”. Sonny Walker was amongst the earliest leaders to emerge in this initiative, later to become a prominent leader in the nation’s most troubled region where poverty has always existed in extreme proportions. The attention to the needs of the

poor existed in large proportions in places like

the Appalachian & Blue Ridge Mountains, the Mississippi Delta, the troubled metropolitan

areas, small towns and isolated communities. His

responsibilities included the coalition building of the leaders within community action, head start, weatherization, employment & job training, summer youth programs, literacy programs and where necessary, community activism. His ability to teach went beyond the classroom into town halls, state offices, political audi-ences, churches and civic clubs. His influence, today reaches beyond the southern region into all regions in the United States.

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One Dynamic Career!

12

Mr. William “Sonny” Walker

Began his professional career as an educator in the Arkansas public schools as a teacher, athletic coach and administrator. He also served as President of both the Little Rock and Arkansas Associations of

Teachers. There were many ‘firsts’ in the life of Dr. William “Sonny” Walker. He was the first true advocate for his African American professional peers when the segregated schools of Pine Bluff were simply too much to bear. Dr. Walker spoke strongly for equal treatment, benefits and pay for teachers and educa-tional professions. Though this caused him a certain degree of pressure but he would not give in. Later, he felt that leaving the classroom and educational system was a must, if he were to survive both mentally and bodily. Many media accounts exist to this very day documenting his leadership and outspokenness in public meetings and interviews with the press. As time moved along, Dr. Walker left the school system and was easily recognized as eligible to lead a new organization, part of the new War on Poverty movement.

The Crusade for Opportunity in Syracuse, New YorkIn 1965-66 Sonny was responsible for organizing and providing leadership for one of the first Head Start programs in the nation, The Crusade for Opportunity in Syracuse, New York where he also led a team that developed the most re-cent comprehensive strategic plan for the National Head Start Association. Dr. Walker became one of America’s leading Head Start experts during the Johnson Administration. His tenure in Syracuse ended as his need to return home to his family life required the presence of husband/father.

Economic Opportunity Agency of Little Rock and Pulaski County Back home in Little Rock, Arkansas, he directed the Economic Opportunity Agency of Little Rock and Pulaski County (a community action agency). This position was a catalyst to Sonny’s popularity and credibility as a community organizer and change agent. Politicians relied on his community influence and problem solving abilities. This position propelled him to his next professional step.

Head of the Arkansas State Economic Opportunity Office As a result of his community and political activity and success, he served in Governor Winthrop Rockefeller’s cabinet as head of the Arkansas State Economic Opportunity Office until 1975. Division Director for the

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U.S. Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentBy the late 1970’s, and after a stint as a Division Director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Walker was appointed

Director of the Southeast Region for the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity and the U.S. Community Services Administration He served as Director for ten years under four U.S. Presidents – Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan. Dr. Walker traveled throughout the Southern states, assessing programs, collaborating with agency leaders, addressing state associations thoughout the ten states over which he led, and assuring governmental grant accountability. His record of achievement was above the mark of excellence as it was also his expectation to perform no less than at the level of excellence. Vice President of the National Alliance of Business (NAB) By 1981, after continuous efforts by federal bureaucrats to end War on Poverty Programs, Dr. Walker was appointed Vice President of the National Alliance of Business (NAB) and continued this service for 13 years, where he was responsible for its programs and activities in eight southeastern states. The NAB was a business sector- led partnership dedicated to

With an outgoing personality, a brilliant eye for strategic

moving and shaking, and the gift of reconciling persons or groups with each other, Dr. Walker was viewed in Atlanta as the man who could help groups, men and women overcome barriers to their future

development and success. His role as galvanizer of young African American Professions and his ability to help leaders accomplish their business and community plans earned him more advantages with hardly any thought given to preparation for his next move.

Dedicated to Changing People’s Lives in America

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establishing an internationally competitive American workforce. This position propelled Dr. Walker further into prominence. He made sure that businessmen were collaborated through forums and conventions along with continuous networking and printed communication. A sought after speaker, Dr. Walker was known for excellent oratorical skills. This personality feature along with his knowledge of who’s who and what’s what made Sonny Walker a common name…promoting him as the one any organization would want to occupy a seat on their Board of Directors or Advisory Council.

National Consultant for Leap Frog School House Sonny also served as a National consultant for Leap Frog School House with special emphasis on Head Start/Early Childhood Development and was a lecturer for the National Alliance for Black School Educators with emphasis on black male challenges.

Chief Operating Officer of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc. and Advisor to Mrs. Coretta Scott King

In 1990, Dr. Walker joined the staff of the King Center as advisor to Mrs. Coretta Scott King. There he assumed the role of as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc. He also served as an Assistant to Mrs. Coretta Scott King for speech preparation and development for the powerfully assured widow of the Late Dr. M.L. King Jr.

Educational Background

A graduate of his hometown

institution, AM&N/the

University of Arkansas at

Pine Bluff, he did further

study at Arizona State

University, the University of

Oklahoma, the University of

Arkansas, and The Federal

Executive Institute. His work

was commendable and his

speech making gave him

much fame, credibility and

admiration from and

amongst his fellow movers

and shakers.

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…Reflect Greatness

In 1995, Dr. William “Sonny”

Walker Founded The Sonny

Walker Group, a manage-

ment consulting and networking

firm headquartered in Atlanta,

Georgia working on matters

pertaining to strategic planning,

early learning, education reform,

political campaign management,

economic and human resources

development, worker produc-

tivity, partnership development,

networking and fund-raising.

By this time several more

achievements had taken place,

emanating to the attainment of

Doctoral Degrees, Awards and

Certifications that earned Dr.

William “Sonny” Walker

distinction throughout the

African American Business,

Social, Educational and

Philanthropic communities.

Known to most of his

colleagues as simply “SONNY”,

Dr. Walker has a list of social

Affliations That…

involvement that most people

cannot find the time to equal.

His zeal for social change,

justice and improving the lives

of his people has been

evidenced in the programs he

either participated in or led.

Here are a few, and those

omitted are so done with no

other reason than, he did not

write them down. Dr. Walker

has truly been his own boss

while also very active in

community and civic affairs

and is a widely sought trainer,

facilitator, public speaker and

lecturer. Friends musingly

wonder how he found the time

to engage in so many activities,

events, Boards of Directors

and ministries that were vital

to building strong communities

and helping people improve

their lives.

Publications That Have Referred To His GreatnessOutstanding Personalities in the SouthWho’s Who in Black America History Makers….2010…a rare distinction!

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…Cause NotorietyAtlanta Community Design Center Board of Directors

Atlanta Educational Telecommunications Collaborative

Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Atlanta

Friendship Baptist Church

Georgia Partnership for Education Excellence

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Leadership Atlanta Alumni

NAACP -Life Member and Thousandaire Club

100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc.

100 Black Men of America, Inc.

UAPB Annual Fund National Campaign, Alumni Association and Metro

Atlanta Alumni Chapter

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Foundation

Atlanta Black Agenda

Honors and Awards (Partial Listing)

Community Service Award, Atlanta Business League Distinguished Community Service Award, National Urban LeagueInspiring Self-Sufficiency Award, Southeast Association of Community Action AgenciesKappa Alpha Psi Southeastern and Southwestern Province Achievement Awards. Lyndon B. Johnson Award, National Association of Community Action Agencies Lifetime Achievement Award/National Head Start Association Outstanding Performance Award, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Outstanding Public Servant in the State of Georgia Outstanding Service Award, Atlanta Department of Public Safety President’s Award, National Alliance of Business President’s Award, National Conference of Black Mayors President’s Award, United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta. Roy Wilkins Award, NAACP Lifetime Service Award and “Keepers of the Spirit” Hall of Fame Inductee, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 13th Annual Chancellor’s Benefit for the Arts

Chairperson’s Award – Martin Luther King Center.

Atlanta School Board/Metro Atlanta Chamber ofCommerce Political

Action Committee – EduPac

Atlanta Victim Witness Assistance Program Board of Directors

Butler Street YMCA Board of Directors

National Heritage Task Force for YMCA / U.S.A. (Member)Y-USA National Assembly

Y-USA S.E. Assembly Steering Committee (Chair)

Morris Brown College (Board of Trustees/Executive

Committee and Chair of Strategic Planning)

The Southeastern Association of Community Action Agencies (SEACAA) established The William Sonny Walker Community “Self Sufficiency Award” in honor of his work.

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Past Professional AffiliationsAfrican-American Panoramic Experience (Board Chair) American Personnel and Guidance Association (Member)Arkansas AM&N Alumni Association Arkansas Council on Community Affairs (Member)Arkansas Community Action Program Directors Association, Inc. Arkansas Department of Classroom Teachers (President) Arkansas Teachers Association (Board of Directors) Arkansas Teachers of English (President) Atlanta Area Boy Scouts Council, and Board Member for Southern RegionAtlanta Community Food Bank (Board of Directors) Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau (Board of Directors) The Atlanta Project, Former President JimmyCarter (Executive Committee) Atlanta Public Broadcasting Association (Chair) Atlanta Vehicles for Hire Appeals Board (Chair) Bennett College (Chair, Board of Trustees). Business and Professional Men’s Club (Secretary)Carver Community Foundation (Board of Directors)Center for Excellence in Government (Principal) Central Arkansas CAMPS Committee (Vice Chair) Atlanta Combined Federal Campaign (Vice Chair; Chair) Atlanta Federal Executive Board (Policy Committee) Southeast Federal Regional Council (Chair). Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials, Corporate Roundtable (Vice President) Georgia Association of United Way Agencies (Vice Chair) Georgia 21 Commission on Building a Quality Georgia Workforce (Harris) Governor’s Commission on Educational Excellence for Georgia (Harris) Governor’s Commission on Private Initiatives for Georgia (Miller) Governor’s Task Force on Literacy for Georgia (Miller) Governor’s Commission on Education Reform (Barnes) Imperials Social Club – Little Rock (President) Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; Little Rock Alumni Chapter (Polemarch); National Social Action Commission (Chair) and Member, Grand Chapter Nominating Committee

The King Center (Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer)

The King Center’s Community Empowerment Initiative (Chair, AdvisoryBoard)

Dr. Walker’s Honorary DegreesHonorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, Allen University Honorary Doctorate of Humanities, B.L. Lee Theological SeminaryHonorary Doctorate of Law, Morris Booker Memorial Baptist CollegeHonorary Doctorate of Law, Shorter College Honorary Doctorate of Law, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

“My Family Has Been the Motivating Reason For All of My Achievements”

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Past Professional Affiliations Leadership Roundtable Association (President) Little Rock

Literacy Action of Atlanta (Board of Directors)

Atlanta Private Industry Council (Board of Directors)

Atlanta NAACP Membership Campaign (Chair)

SCLC Member (Board of Directors)

Atlanta Mayor’s Committee on Empowerment (Chair)

Metro Atlanta Council for Battered Woman (Board of Directors)

Metro Atlanta Crime Commission (Board of Trustees Vice Chair)

Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (Board of Directors; Chair, Operations Committee)

NACOP Task Force Committee on Grass Roots Participation (Chair)

National Conference of Black Mayors/Economic Development Task Force (Chair)

National Conference of Christians and Jews (Co-Chair, Arkansas Region)

National Council of Teachers of English (Board of Directors)

National Education Association (Member; Classroom Teachers Advisory Council)

National State Office of Economic Opportunity Directors Association (Vice President)

NEA Professional Rights and Responsibilities Commission (Chair)

Office of Economic Opportunity (National Advisory Committee; Executive Committee)

Outreach Atlanta/AIDS Assistance (Board of Directors; Chair, Audit and Development Committe

100 Black Men of America, Inc. (Board of Directors) 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc. (Vice Chair, Public Policy)

Regional Advisory Committee -Adult Education, Syracuse (for Governor Nelson Rockefeller)

Resurgens Atlanta (President)

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

State Advisory Board for Vocational/Technical Education (Arkansas)

State FEMA Allocation Committee for Georgia (Chair) Metro Atlanta United Way (Board of Directors; (Vice Chair)

U.S. Government Senior Executive Service (Charter Member)

The Black/Jewish Coalition U.S. President’s Board of Advisors for Historically Black Colleges and Universities

(1956-57) Helped members of the “Little Rock 9” integrate Little Rock Central High School

(1963) Managed the first successful campaign for a Black school board member in Little Rock (T.E. Patterson)

(1966) Integrated the Little Rock Jaycees

(1967) Led the successful effort in Little Rock to get Blacks hired as on- air television personalities, supermarket cashiers, bank tellers, new car salesmen and in 1968, state police

(1969) First Black to be appointed to Governor’s Cabi-net in South (Arkansas)

(1972) First Black to be appointed Regional Director of a major Federal agency

(1977) First Black to chair the Southeast Federal Regional Council of AdministratorsInitiated at Gamma Sigma Chapter (University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff / AM&N College, 1952Became a Life Member in 1973. Served as Keeper of Records for Undergraduate Chapter (GammaSigma) Polemarch of the Little Rock Alumni Chapter.Has served on The Grand Chapter Nominating and Social Action Committees.

Was Closing Banquet Speaker for the 63rd Grand Conclave in Atlanta (1980).Recipient of more than 50 Kappa awards and citations, including the highest awards conferred by both the Southwest and Southeast (Joseph A. Jenkins Award) Provinces.Has made more than 100 speeches at Kappa, 100 Black Men, Community Action and Civil Rights events and has written numerous articles on achievement, brotherhood and other fraternity- related matters.Assisted in the Programmatic Development of Atlanta’s Center for Human and Civil Rights Center for Social Change, 2010

Participated in the “Save Morris Brown” initiative as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors since 2006. Successful outcomes were recorded in early 2016 with the accreditation of the college and the acquisition of a portion of the campus which withstood the threat of demolition or sale due to bankruptcy

Participated in the Friendship Baptist Church as member and facilitator to its sale and conveyance of land to make way for Atlanta’s new sports arena and the re-establishment of a new sanctuary. 2014-15

Appointed to Georgia Governor’s (Nathan Deal) Commission on Equal Rights; 2015-16

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Dr. Walker joined the Friendship Baptist Church as soon as he moved to Atlanta. Very studiously he made sure the church would have attained community spiritual greatness and that

the preaching was stimulating, and served an historical richness in the making of the great city, Atlanta Georgia. His choice was right and his participation in worship, membership development and the many changes that have occurred is testimony of his right decision. As well, Dr. Walker speaks highly of the founding of this church and its significant sponsorship in fostering the creation of several the higher educational institutions within the City. For instance, Spelman and Morehouse Colleges were founded under the auspices of Friendship Baptist Church. This history, he touted often as a proud association with the Rockefeller family of the state of Arkansas gave him a feeling of closeness to this rich history.

Close to the former Friendship Baptist Church location also stands the prominent Morris Brown College Campus. In time for his greatness and intervention, Dr. Walker joined the Board of Trustees at Morris Brown and was closely involved in it’s struggle to retain its standing as a member of the Atlanta University System. In the year 2015, with the strong involvement of the Board of Trustees and the Alliances of Methodist Churches, Morris Brown has persevered through the rough economic times that many Historical Black Colleges and Universities have faced.

Legacy & Leadership

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Dr. William Sonny Walker

Native of Pine Bluff Arkansas, Resident of Atlanta, GA. Father of two Daughters and two Sons

Cheryl WalkerRestaurant Consultant Mother of one Son

James “Jimmy” WalkerTwo-Time All-American Defensive Tackle; 8 years Professional Football; Currently County Unit Supervisor/South Bend, Indiana. Father of two.

William “Bill” Walker, Jr. Former County Commissioner; 16 years Arkansas Legislature; Former State Senator, Arkansas and Executive Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; currently Director of Workforce Education for Arkansas, Funeral Director. Father of two.

Lesli WalkerMother of Three Children and Grandmother of three.

Dr. Walker is the Grandfather of eight, and Great Grandfather of six.

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In the fall of 2008, Dr. Walker joined the staff of the Fulton Atlanta Community Action Au-

thority as Senior Advisor to the President/CEO. His work has been valuable to the organization’s growth and visibility. Assisting with enhancing governmental, corporate and community interactions, Dr. Walker has used his influence to help FACAA strengthen the respect it has attempted to build in Atlanta and Fulton County’s systems of management and interagency collaboration.

Dr. Walker revived his history of involvement in community action programs in 2008. His own work was so successful that a distinctive award is given through the Southeastern Community Action Association

Fulton Atlanta Community

Action Authorityto one of its member agencies each year entitled “The William ‘Sonny’ Walker Award of Community Self

Sufficiency. In the year 1998, Fulton Atlanta earned this distinction and has since enjoyed the affiliation with this prolific leader amongst historically popular community

activists. The Fulton Atlanta Community Action Authority’s Board of Directors has relied upon the wisdom and guidance of Dr. Walker. His input to organizational structure has helped to strengthen it as a foremost agency within the national cadre of community action agencies.

Fighting the War on Poverty22

Fighting the War on Poverty 23

ServingWITH InFLuEnTIAL LEADErSCOLLEAguES AnD FrIEnDS

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Teacher

“Each day brings me new opportunities

and challenges

to be of service”

SpeakerLeaderFriend

This Composite of Professional Accolades is a dedication to the lifetime services and contributions of Dr. William “Sonny” Walker.This small booklet can only capture a synopsis of the greatness of one of America’s most prolific community and business leaders.

ENJOYING OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE and INFLUENCE CHANGE

The Vitae of Dr. William “Sonny’ WalkerAuthorized by The Board of the Fulton Atlanta Community Atlanta Authority, Inc.

and the Family of Dr. William “Sonny” Walker

To learn more about the prolific life of Dr. Walker, click here: https://youtu.be/v3RaLVlNQSE

Composed by Dr. Joyce J. DorseyEdited by Ms. Kristian Belton

designs by Stacey, Inc.Graphic Design by Designs by Stacey, Inc.Graphic Designer: Stacey M. Nealwww.designsbystaceyinc.com