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James W. Walker papers
Special Collections and Archives
James W. Walker papers
Special Collections and Archives
James W. Walker papers
Biography of James W. Walker
James W. Walker was born in Akron, Ohio in February of 1947. Walker earned a journeyman's card as a pipefitter in the apprenticeship program of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio before receiving B.S. and Master's degrees from Kent State University in 1973 and 1979 respectively. Walker went on to teach mathematics and science at the middle and high school levels at Jackson Public Schools for 28 years. His advocacy for science and academic freedom brought him into conflict with Jackson Local School District. His insistence on the separation of church and state led to involvement in two cases with the school board, one in the Common Pleas Court and one in Federal Court. He won both cases before stepping down from Jackson Schools in 2004.
Walker continued to teach math and physics at Stark State College for the Massillon City Schools Adult Basic and Literacy Education (A.B.L.E.) program. He also served the community of Stark County on the board of the Stark County Hunger Task Force, the North Canton Friends of the Library, and Coming Together Stark County. He was president of the Board of Trustees of the Massillon Museum, and a founding member, as well as president, of the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Greater Canton.
He also served on the Teachers Advisory Board of the National Center for Science Education, headquartered in Berkeley, California. He continues to publish articles on a wide range of subjects and to pursue his passion for photography. Walker resides in Massillon, Ohio.
Scope and Content
The James W. Walker papers contain materials from a lifetime of teaching and service in Stark County, Ohio. These papers contain items from Walker's time teaching science at Jackson Middle School and Jackson High School as well as from his time teaching physics and mathematics at Stark State College. There are also files from his service to various local entities such as the Stark County Hunger Task Force, the Massillon Museum, and Coming Together Stark County. Additionally, there are examples from Walker's years of award winning photography, personal writings including a 2003 personal memoir, Before I Go: My First Fifty-six Trips Around the Sun, and publications. Walker's papers also reflect his advocacy for the separation of church and state in the public schools and include the court records of those efforts.
Statement of Arrangement
This collection has been arranged into the following ten series:
- Series 1: Personal Information
- Series 2: Writing
- Series 3: Publications
- Series 4: Jackson Schools
- Series 5: Stark State College
- Series 6: Teaching Materials
- Series 7: Court Records
- Series 8: Correspondence
- Series 9: Subject Files
- Series 10: Photography
Separated Material
Photographs by James W. Walker related to the Kent State University gym annex protests are located in the May 4 Collection, Gym Annex Controversy (Tent City) records.
Preferred Citation
James W. Walker papers. Kent State University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives.
Controlled Access Headings
The following are found in this collection:
Subjects:
- Photography, Artistic--Ohio
- Mathematics--Study and Teaching--Ohio
- Science--Study and Teaching--Ohio
- Church and state--United States--History--20th century
Organizations/Corporations:
- Jackson Local School District (Stark County, Ohio)
- Stark State College
- Jackson High School (Massillon, Ohio)
- Jackson Memorial Middle School (Massillon, Ohio)
- Massillon City School District (Massillon, Ohio). A.B.L.E. Program
- Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
Places:
- Stark County (Ohio)
- Akron (Ohio)
Occupations:
- Middle school teachers
- High school teachers
- College teachers
- Journey workers
- Pipe fitters
Material Types:
- Court records
- Correspondence
- Photographs
- Teaching materials
- Poetry
- Publications (documents)
Detailed Description of the Collection
Series 1: Personal Information, 1947-2017
Box
1 / Folder
1
Birth Certificate, 1947
Restrictions on Access: This item is restricted at this time.
Box
1 / Folder
2
Resume, 2001
Box
1 / Folder
3
Certificates and Awards, 1960-1962
Box
1 / Folder
4
Biographical Sketch Written by James W. Walker, 2016
Box
1 / Folder
5
Kent State Alumni Information, 2003, 2008, 2016-2017
Box
1 / Folder
6
Partial List of Published Writing, undated
Box
1 / Folder
7
Family Photographs, undated
Series 2: Writings, 1980-2023
Scope and Content: James W. Walker's writings cover a wide range of subjects and styles. He has written poetry and the memoir Before I Go. He also has published several articles in scholastic and scientific journals. This series of writings contains his drafts with hand written corrections, as well as unpublished manuscripts, and submitted manuscripts.
Box
1 / Folder
8
Before I Go: Hand Written Draft: Chapters 1-15, undated
Box
1 / Folder
9
Before I Go: Hand Written Draft: Chapters 16-24, undated
Box
1 / Folder
10
Before I Go: Hand Written Draft: Chapters 25-31, undated
Box
1 / Folder
11
Before I Go: Typed Draft With Corrections: Chapters 1-12, undated
Box
1 / Folder
12
Before I Go: Typed Draft With Corrections: Chapters 13-22, undated
Box
1 / Folder
13
Before I Go: Typed Draft With Corrections: Chapters 23-31 and Cover Art, undated
Box
1 / Folder
14
Bridges to Wholeness: Unpublished Poetry Manuscript, 1987
Box
1 / Folder
15
Chalk Talk: All the Things Left Out of Teacher Education: Unpublished Manuscript, undated
Box
1 / Folder
15
My Turn Now: Unpublished Manuscript, undated
Box
1 / Folder
16
Ontolocon: Unpublished Manuscript, 2002
Box
1 / Folder
17
Miscellaneous Personal Writings, 1984-1988
Box
2 / Folder
1
Submitted Manuscripts, 1980-1989
Box
2 / Folder
2
Submitted Manuscripts, 1990-1998
Box
2 / Folder
3
Submitted Manuscripts, 2000-2010, 2023
Series 3: Publications, 1980-2023
Box
2 / Folder
4
Publications, 1980-1989
Box
2 / Folder
5
Publications, 1990-1993
Box
2 / Folder
6
Publications, 1994-1995
Box
2 / Folder
7
Publications, 1996-1998
Box
2 / Folder
8
Publications, 1999-2000
Box
2 / Folder
9
Publications, 2001-2002
Box
2 / Folder
10
Publications, 2003-2004
Box
2 / Folder
11
Publications, 2005-2007
Box
2 / Folder
12
Publications, 2008-2009
Box
2 / Folder
13
Publications, 2010-2011
Box
2 / Folder
14
Publications, 2012-2013
Box
2 / Folder
15
Publications, 2014-2016
Box
2 / Folder
16
Publications, 2017-2023
Box
3 / Folder
1
"Give 'em What They Want: A Strategy for Reading Growth" Ohio Media Spectrum, 1980
Box
3 / Folder
2
"My Square Meter: A Student Exploration" The Ohio Journal of Science, 1985
Box
3 / Folder
4
"The Treasure Found in a Junk Box" Horizon, 1987
Box
3 / Folder
5
"Science and Society in England" The Ohio Journal of Science, 1987
Box
3 / Folder
6
"Density Detectives" Science Scope, 1987
Box
3 / Folder
7
"From Trophies to Test Tubes" Science Scope, 1987
Box
3 / Folder
8
"Rube Goldberg Rides Again" Science Scope, 1987
Box
3 / Folder
9
"A Nobles Pond Experience: Middle School Students Unearth Paleo-Indian Artifacts" The Ohio Journal of Science, 1989
Box
3 / Folder
10
"Primary Science in England: An Overview, Summer '86" Science Education in Ohio, 1989
Box
3 / Folder
11
"Getting Them Unstuck: Some Strategies for the Teaching of Reading in Science" School Science and Mathematics, 1989
Box
3 / Folder
12
"Creation v. Evolution: Why Not Both?" Liberal Religious Education, 1991
Box
3 / Folder
13
"Cereal Box Bridge" Science Scope, 1996
Box
3 / Folder
14
"Bang" Ohio Poetry Association - Best of 1999, 1999
Box
3 / Folder
15
Before I Go: My First Fifty-Six Trips Around the Sun, 2003
Series 4: Jackson Schools, 1976-2011
Box
4 / Folder
1
Middle School, 1976-1987
Box
4 / Folder
2
Middle School, 1988
Box
4 / Folder
3
Middle School, 1989-1994
Box
4 / Folder
4
Middle School Yearbook, 1992
Box
4 / Folder
5
High School, 1994-1996
Box
4 / Folder
6
High School, 1997-1999
Box
4 / Folder
7
High School, 2000-2004
Box
5 / Folder
1
Religion at Jackson Middle School, 1971-1997
Box
5 / Folder
2
High School Choir Prayer, 1998
Box
5 / Folder
3
Ohio Education Association Documents, 1988-1990
Box
5 / Folder
4
Issues and Severance Contract, 1999
Box
5 / Folder
5
Recognition, 1981-1990
Box
5 / Folder
6
Recognition, 1991-2000
Box
5 / Folder
7
Recognition, 2001-2011
Box
5 / Folder
8
Evaluations, 1976-1998
Box
5 / Folder
9
Notes from Students, undated
Box
5 / Folder
10
Medical and Sick Leave records, 1998-1999
Series 5: Stark State College, 1988-2010
Box
6 / Folder
1
Correspondence and Teaching Materials, 1988-2010
Box
6 / Folder
2
Math 101 Lecture Notes, undated
Box
6 / Folder
3
Math 125 Notes and Tests, 2010
Box
6 / Folder
4
Physics, 2007-2008
Series 6: Teaching Materials, 1987-2013
Box
6 / Folder
5
General Science, 1996-1998
Box
6 / Folder
6
7th Grade Lab Science, undated
Box
6 / Folder
7
"Science Shorts" Newsletter, 1987
Box
6 / Folder
8
Nobles Pond, 1988
Box
6 / Folder
9
Miami University Field Geology, 1992
Box
6 / Folder
10
Canton Country Day, 2000
Box
6 / Folder
11
Student Tests, 1997-1998
Box
6 / Folder
12
Adult Basic Literacy Education (ABLE), 2003-2013
Series 7: Court Records, 1988-1991
Box
7 / Folder
1
James Walker v Jackson Local Schools Board of Education. Case Number 88-1785-3. Complaint, Judgement Entry, and Settlement Agreement., 1988-1991
Box
7 / Folder
2
James Walker v Jackson Local Schools Board of Education. Case Number 88-1785-3. Deposition of James Walker., 1991
Box
7 / Folder
3
James Walker v Jackson Local Schools Board of Education. Case Number 88-1785-3. Deposition of Robert Glassburn, 1991
Box
7 / Folder
4
James Walker v Jackson Local Schools Board of Education. Case Number 88-1785-3. Defendant's Closing Argument, 1991
Box
7 / Folder
5
James Walker v Jackson Local Schools Board of Education. Case Number 88-1785-3. Stipulations (1 of 3)., 1988-1990
Box
7 / Folder
6
James Walker v Jackson Local Schools Board of Education. Case Number 88-1785-3. Stipulations (2 of 3)., 1988-1990
Box
7 / Folder
7
James Walker v Jackson Local Schools Board of Education. Case Number 88-1785-3. Stipulations (3 of 3)., 1988-1990
Box
7 / Folder
8
James Walker v Jackson Local Schools Board of Education. Case Number 88-1785-3. Second Set of Stipulations., 1988
Box
7 / Folder
9
James Walker v Jackson Local Schools Board of Education. Case Number 88-1785-3. Third Set of Stipulations, 1988-1989
Box
7 / Folder
10
James Walker v Jackson Local Schools Board of Education. Case Number 88-1785-3. Plaintiff's Post Trial Brief., 1991
Box
7 / Folder
11
James Walker v Jackson Local Schools Board of Education et al. Case Number 5:89CV0537., 1991
Box
7 / Folder
12
Correspondence Regarding Court Cases, 1991
Series 8: Correspondence, 1982-2021
Box
8 / Folder
1
Correspondence, 1982-1988
Box
8 / Folder
2
Correspondence, 1989
Box
8 / Folder
3
Correspondence, 1990-1991
Box
8 / Folder
4
Correspondence, 1992-1993
Box
8 / Folder
5
Correspondence, 1994-1999
Box
8 / Folder
6
Correspondence, 2000-2003
Box
8 / Folder
7
Correspondence, 2004-2006
Box
8 / Folder
9
Correspondence, 2007-2009
Box
8 / Folder
10
Correspondence, 2010-2013
Box
8 / Folder
11
Correspondence, 2014
Box
8 / Folder
12
Correspondence, 2015
Box
8 / Folder
13
Correspondence, 2016
Box
9 / Folder
1
Correspondence, 2017
Box
9 / Folder
2
Correspondence, 2018
Box
9 / Folder
3
Correspondence, 2019
Box
9 / Folder
4
Correspondence, 2020
Box
9 / Folder
5
Correspondence, 2021
Series 9: Subject Files, 1968-2024
Box
9 / Folder
6
Animal Compliance Officer Campaign, 2016-2021
Scope and Content: Includes information regarding Walker's efforts for the reinstatement of a dedicated animal compliance officer and enforcement of dog-related ordinances in the city of Massillon.
Box
9 / Folder
7
Canal Fulton Mules Vintage Baseball, 1996-1998
Box
9 / Folder
8
Coming Together Stark County, 2005-2010
Box
9 / Folder
9
City Council Campaign, 2005
Box
9 / Folder
10
Fire Station 3 (Massillon, Ohio), 2016
Box
9 / Folder
11
Fort Industry Resolution (Proposed), 2005
Box
9 / Folder
12
Gallia County Genealogical Society, 2008-2010
Box
9 / Folder
13
Gilbert N. Porter Project, 2023
Box
9 / Folder
14
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, 1968-1976
Box
9 / Folder
15
Hospice, 1999-2003
Box
10 / Folder
1
James W. Walker Scholarship for the Teaching of Science, 2015-2017
Scope and Content: Includes materials related to the scholarship established by Walker which was open to public high school students who intend to make a career teaching science at the secondary level in Ohio, preferably in Stark County.
Restrictions on Access: Some of the materials in this file are restricted at this time.
Box
10 / Folder
2
John Hall School, 2015-2016
Scope and Content: Materials related to Walker's efforts to get the former Hall Industrial School listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Box
10 / Folder
3
Kent State University, 1979-2013
Box
10 / Folder
4
Local Authors Events, 2016-2017
Box
10 / Folder
5
Massillon Museum (1 of 3), 2001-2003
Box
10 / Folder
6
Massillon Museum (2 of 3), 2002-2003
Box
10 / Folder
7
Massillon Museum (3 of 3), 2001-2003
Box
10 / Folder
8
Massillon Museum: The Massillon Connection Committee, 2009-2015
Box
10 / Folder
9
Massillon Public Library Focus Group, October 5, 2022
Box
10 / Folder
10
Rubber Worker Stories and Statue Project, 2019-2024
Box
10 / Folder
11
School Recognition Plaques, undated
Scope and Content: Includes a flyer Walker distributed urging fellow citizens to install commemorative plaques or other markers to note locations where Massillon schools once stood.
Box
10 / Folder
12
Spring Hill Historic Home, 2019-2021
Box
10 / Folder
13
Stark County Hunger Task Force, 1988-1994
Box
10 / Folder
14
Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Greater Canton, 1992-2009
Box
10 / Folder
15
Wheels of Fortune (book): Walker Interviews, 1996-1999
Box
10 / Folder
16
WRCW-AM Radio Program, 2001-2002
Series 10: Photography, 1975-2003
Restrictions on Use: All photographs are the work of James W. Walker and are for research purposes only. They can not be reproduced without written permission from James W. Walker.
Related Material: Additional black and white photographs and negatives by James W. Walker of the Kent State University Gym Annex protests (Tent City) can be found in the May 4 collection, Gym Annex Controversy (Tent City) records.
Box
11 / Folder
1
35mm Slides, 1978-1983
Box
11 / Folder
2
7th Grade Football, undated
Box
11 / Folder
3
Birding Workshop, 1989
Box
11 / Folder
4
Circus, undated
Box
11 / Folder
5
Jackson Middle School Football, circa 1970s
Box
11 / Folder
6
Nobles Pond, 1988
Box
11 / Folder
7
Oklahoma Negatives and Contact Sheets, 1982
Box
11 / Folder
8
Personal Negatives, 1975-2003
Box
11 / Folder
9
Physique Contest, undated
Box
11 / Folder
10
Stan Hywet and the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1976
Box
11 / Folder
11
Track and Field, undated
Box
11 / Folder
12
Trip West, 1993
Box
11 / Folder
13
Unidentified Negatives and Contact Sheets (1 of 2), undated
Box
11 / Folder
14
Unidentified Negatives and Contact Sheets (2 of 2), undated
Box
11 / Folder
15
Unidentified Negatives, undated
Box
11 / Folder
16
Weightlifting Meet, undated
Box
11 / Folder
17
Wyoming Geology, 1992
Box
11 / Folder
18
First Place Photo - 11th Annual Exhibition of Nature Photography, 1981
Physical Location: 11th Floor Map Case
