Beloved former Augusta University professor Ralph H. Walker, Ph.D., died on Aug. 15, just two days after his 94th birthday.
Walker, who was a resident of Brandon Wilde Pavillion, was laid to rest in a private ceremony on Aug. 19.
After serving in the Korean War and working in the aerospace industry, Walker, a native of Pennsylvania, changed gears and obtained his doctorate in political science and public administration from the University of Georgia.
In 1969, Walker accepted a teaching position at Augusta College where he taught for 42 years and was the first chairman of the Department of Political Science. Walker also founded the The Augusta College Research Center and implemented the Master of Public Administration degree at the growing university.
A tireless advocate of good government, Walker became an icon in local and state politics. Walker sat on the Richmond County School Board where he helped begin the magnate school program. Even though that was the only elected office he held, he was highly sought after for his advice by politicians and elected officials.
Former Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver was a student of Walker’s at Augusta College and remembers that the “Guru” helped guide his political career.
“Ralph Walker was an American original and truly one of a kind who had more influence on Augusta politics than most people could imagine,” Copenhaver said.
According to Copenhaver, he got interested in politics as a student of Walker’s, and it was Walker’s approach of not being “too high brow or low brow” was a winning formula that got Copenhaver elected three times.
“I am blessed to call him a friend and he will be dearly missed,” Copenhaver said.
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Known for his ability to offer compromise in heated political discussions, Walker was brought on board as a consultant and co-writer of the legislation that led to the Augusta/Richmond County consolidation charter in 1996.
Former Senator Charles Walker worked closely with Ralph Walker and said that all of the various political blocs held him in high esteem and trusted his wisdom.
“He was intuitively a good guy. He approached the consolidation issue offering suggestions that approached growth for both the city and the county. He was very trusted,” Charles Walker said.
When Walker came to Augusta in 1969, Augusta College was a tiny community college where classes were held in the old Augusta Arsenal ammunition storage warehouses. In fact, local high school graduates once derided the college as “Harvard on the Hill.”
However, by the time Walker retired in 2009, the once tiny college had evolved into the state-of-the-art institution that is modern day Augusta University. Walker’s colleagues agree that the humble and non-assuming professor helped lay that foundation that transformed the university to what it is today.
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Walker became a bit of a media star, appearing on national political news programs and even won a “Gabby” award from the Georgia Association of Broadcasters. However, he kept his happy-go-lucky-nature persona even with the political accolades, according to his colleague Hubert van Tuyll, who worked alongside Walker for well over a decade.
“Ralph was a very special figure on our campus – not just because of his extensive knowledge – but because he clearly cared about people, whether they were students, colleagues, or part of the larger community to which he devoted much of his life,” van Tuyll said.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
