Dewey Walker Endowments
University Park, Pa. -- Computer pioneer P. Duane "Dewey" Walker of Goshen, Ky., has established an endowed faculty position in Penn State's new School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) through a $500,000 bequest to the University.
The Dewey Walker Endowed Professorship will support the research, teaching, and service activities of a faculty member in Penn State's newest academic unit.
"Dewey Walker is widely known as one of the foremost innovators in the computer industry for the architecture and planning required to develop information systems for large, complex organizations," said Dr. James B. Thomas, dean of IST. "He also has the reputation for being one of Penn State's most loyal alumni, so I can think of nothing more appropriate than a lasting memorial to him in the information sciences school at his alma mater. We are very grateful for his generosity."
A 1953 graduate of the University, Walker spent the early part of his career as an IBM systems engineer in Pittsburgh. While there, he worked with such major firms as U.S. Steel and Westinghouse, installing computers and developing the information systems necessary to automate their internal business processes. The projects represented some of the first major information technology initiatives undertaken by these companies.
Walker then became a management consultant with Price Waterhouse & Co. In that capacity, he led the development of a customer information and accounting system for the New York-based utility, Niagara Mohawk, among other successes.
He returned to IBM in 1962. One of the first tasks Walker undertook as a product planner was the development and rollout of the System/360 computer. Soon after that, he launched IBM's market analysis department for programming systems. In 1966, Walker was named manager of information systems planning at IBM DP Group Headquarters and, a year later, he became the firm's first manager of information systems architecture. In this capacity, he oversaw the development of many important systems analysis tools and helped share many of IBM's new programs with other Fortune 500 firms. In 1970, Walker was commissioned to establish a national marketing approach for IBM. That assignment resulted in a highly successful program called Business Systems Planning (BSP), for which Walker received IBM's Outstanding Contribution Award in 1973.
In 1974, he joined Humana, Inc., as vice president of management systems and a member of the firm's management committee. Under Walker's guidance over the next nine years, Humana became known as the leader in information systems in the health care industry while growing from a $95 million hospital company to a $2.2 billion enterprise.
In 1982, Walker founded his own company, International Medical Exchange (IMX). IMX established a paperless method for collecting and processing medical claims data. Five years later, IMX was sold to Blue Cross of Kentucky and, subsequently, many other Blue Cross operations have adopted the IMX system, saving substantially in the process.
In addition to his leading work in the information sciences and technology, Walker also is a developer of affordable housing for retirees and single professionals in State College, Pennsylvania, and in Louisville, Kentucky. He also has been associated with the California-based Systems Consulting Consortium since 1985.
Walker has been honored as an outstanding alumnus by Penn State's College of Education and by his fraternity, Kappa Delta Rho. He also has been listed in the world, finance and industry, and south/southeast editions of Who's Who. Walker holds a B.S. in mathematics from Penn State and an M.B.A. from New York University. He also has pursued studies at Duquesne University and the University of Pittsburgh.
Walker and his wife, the former Doris McClymont, have three children, Jeannine Walker, Andrea Eisenbrei, and Edward Walker. Edward also is an alumnus of Penn State.
Dewey and Doris Walker also recently established two endowments in athletics at Penn State, the Dewey and Doris Walker Endowed Scholarship for Fullbacks and The Dewey and Doris Walker Family–Jeannine C. Walker, Andrea Walker Eisenbrei, and Edward D. Walker–Endowed Track and Cross Country Scholarship. And, the Walkers have created the Doris Walker Lecturer-in-Residence for Children's Literature in Penn State's College of Education.
Dewey Walker is a native of West Mifflin, Pa., and a 1949 graduate of McKeesport High School.
