MSU to award honorary doctorate to Pat Walker

Longtime Springfield volunteer Pat Walker will receive an honorary doctorate in public affairs from Missouri State University during its May 19 commencement ceremonies. MSU approved the honorary degree Dec. 16, following recommendations from the Board of Governors and President Michael T. Nietzel. Walker has served on more than 30 local, state and national boards of directors.

Locally, she was integrally involved with Urban Districts Alliance, which provides leadership in efforts to revitalize downtown Springfield, and was devoted to rebuilding Park Central Square and bringing Founders Park and Jordan Valley Park to fruition.

“I have had the great fortune to work with Pat Walker in a variety of settings,” said Jim Baker, MSU vice president for research and economic development, in the release. “No matter the circumstance, she always maintains a quiet, unassuming confidence. Pat is an intelligent, caring person, but the thing I like most about her is her mental toughness. She was the reason that Founders Park was completed. A lesser person would have been doomed to failure.”

Walker, a native of Skiatook, Okla., is a graduate of the University of Iowa, where she earned a degree in psychology. She was married to the late Dr. William M. Walker and has two children.

“After nearly half a century of service to her adopted community, it is with extreme pleasure that we honor Pat Walker with this degree,” said Edward DeLong, assistant professor of library science and chair of MSU’s honorary doctorate selection committee, in the release. “Both Springfield and the Ozarks are in a much better place thanks to her work in the community.”

Walker was the head of Ozarks Public Television during its year of transition to MSU, and she also established the first all-volunteer, community-based hospice program in the United States, garnering national publicity for the program. Walker helped establish the Ozarks Health Advocacy Association Foundation and is serving her second term on its board of directors.

During her years of service, Walker has been recognized with many awards, including the Junior League Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. She also was named one of SBJ’s Most Influential Women of 2003.

MSU’s honorary doctorate was initiated to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of distinguished citizens, and only one honorary doctorate is conferred annually. Past recipients are Sister Lorraine Biebel, Harold Bengsch and David Harrison.