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N. W. Walker

N. W. Walker joined the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 1905 as professor of secondary education, directed its summer school for twenty-seven years from 1907, and became acting dean of the School of Education in 1921. He founded the High School Journal and died at his Chapel Hill home in 1936.

Source: NCpedia: Walker, Nathan Wilson

Also found in catalogs as N. W. (Nathan Walker) Walker.

1875–1936 · Dates from the Library of Congress · On the Friends’ Local Authors roster → · Library of Congress authority record ↗

1 work about N. W. Walker is indexed here.

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N. W. Walker, portrait plate, 1905
N. W. Walker, portrait plate, 1905

Life and Orange County connections

Storylines this person is part of, in date order. Each has its own page.

StorylineThe University's summer schools for teachers, 1877–19071877–1907 · 8 events · For three decades the university used its summers to train the state's teachers, though the work stopped and started. The General Assembly set up a Summer Normal School there in 1877 to train white teachers, and President Kemp Battle and the Board of Education admitted white women, though state money could not be spent on them. Its last session was in 1884. In 1894 Edwin A. Alderman opened a Summer School for Teachers and Students, and in 1900, by Battle's account, the first summer term of degree courses began. The trustees' executive committee held no summer school for teachers in 1905, but N. W. Walker revived it in 1907 and directed it for twenty-seven years. StorylineChapel Hill's public school becomes a graded district, 1900–19091900–1909 · 6 events · Chapel Hill's public schooling began the decade as a contract with two private teachers and ended it as a graded school district run free of the Orange County board. In 1900 the school board ruled that the Canadas' school was not a public school, since the teachers had not met the school law, and withheld their pay; John W. Canada's school closed in 1901. In 1903 the commissioners called a special school tax election in the district, and the school committee later bought the old Canada building. An act ratified in February 1909 created the Chapel Hill Graded School District, with a special school tax and six trustees, subject to the voters' approval in May.

Dated events connected with this person, in date order. See these 24 dated events in the chronology →

  1. N. W. Walker revives the UNC summer school Walker, professor of secondary education since 1905, revived the university's summer school in 1907 and directed it for twenty-seven years. In 1921 he became acting dean of the School of Education. Place: Chapel Hill · Also mentions: School of EducationSearch the index · NCpedia: Walker, Nathan Wilson
  2. The legislature creates the Chapel Hill Graded School District An act ratified February 26, 1909 created the Chapel Hill Graded School District, with a special school tax and six trustees, among them Charles H. Herty and N. W. Walker, who ran its schools free of the Orange County board. Voters had to approve it in May; the city school system dates its founding to 1909. People: Charles H. Herty, N. W. Walker Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · Private Laws of the State of North Carolina, Session of 1909, chapter 2, pp. 7-11 (Internet Archive)
  3. Construction goes forward on Chapel Hill's new graded school building The News reported work progressing finely on the new $35,000 graded school building, for which contractors had been bidding in August, and said the town was anxiously awaiting a building less crowded than the old one. People: N. W. Walker Place: Chapel HillThe News (Chapel Hill), October 14, 1915, p. 1
  4. The university holds a teachers' institute for high school teachers The university held a two-week institute for high school teachers, principals and superintendents alongside a second elementary institute during the Summer School, and about 103 came to Chapel Hill for them. The News called it the first institute in the state for high school teachers. People: N. W. Walker Place: University of North Carolina, Chapel HillSearch the index · The News (Chapel Hill), July 19, 1917, p. 1
  5. A thunderstorm halts Esther Wake at Cameron Park during the homecoming University Summer School students staged Adolph Vermont's play Esther Wake, on the early history of Hillsborough and Orange County, at Cameron Park for more than 5,000 people. A heavy thunderstorm stopped it in the second act. People: Albert Coates, N. W. Walker, Adolph Vermont Place: Hillsborough · Also mentions: Cameron ParkDocumenting the American South: A Record of the War Activities in Orange County, North Carolina, 1917-1919, p. 114
  6. The Chapel Hill Graded School graduates a high school class of twenty-four The Chapel Hill Graded School closed its year with commencement exercises in the school auditorium, where N. W. Walker gave the address and F. P. Venable handed diplomas to twenty-four graduates, with two more receiving certificates. People: N. W. Walker, Francis Preston Venable Place: Chapel Hill Graded School auditorium, Chapel HillSearch the index · The News (Chapel Hill), June 8, 1922, p. 4
  7. Chapel Hill High School graduates fifteen, with J. Y. Joyner as speaker Chapel Hill High School closed its year with commencement exercises from May 31 to June 2, 1924, graduating twelve girls and three boys. Former state superintendent J. Y. Joyner gave the address on Monday night, June 2, Alfred S. Lawrence preached the baccalaureate sermon at the Chapel of the Cross, and N. W. Walker of the university presented the diplomas. People: Alfred Stratton Lawrence, N. W. Walker, Fred W. Morrison, James Yadkin Joyner Place: Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Chapel of the CrossSearch the index · The News (Chapel Hill), June 5, 1924, p. 1
  8. The Chapel Hill school board requires smallpox vaccination for every entering pupil The school board resolved that every child entering the Chapel Hill School that year must show a recent smallpox vaccination scar or be vaccinated on entering. Dr. S. A. Nathan offered to vaccinate free all who applied, and families could instead have their own physician do it with points supplied by the health department. People: N. W. Walker, S. A. Nathan Place: Chapel Hill School, Chapel HillSearch the index · The News (Chapel Hill), September 4, 1924, p. 4
  9. The Chapel Hill school board buys the back of the Wallace Patterson place The Chapel Hill school board bought a plot 180 by 120 feet off the north end of the Wallace Patterson place, next to the school grounds, and took an option on the rest of the property. Board secretary N. W. Walker said the town would soon need a high school separate from the elementary school, to be used also as a demonstration school for the University's school of education. People: N. W. Walker Place: Wallace Patterson place, next to the Chapel Hill school, Chapel Hill · Also named: Wallace Patterson · Also mentions: Chapel Hill school boardSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, January 29, 1925, p. 1
  10. University confers degrees on summer students at the close of the summer school When the 38th session of the University summer school closed, the University conferred degrees on 26 summer students who had finished their work, instead of making them wait for the next commencement. The Weekly said it was the first time in the school's history, and the session drew 1,386 students in the first term and 719 in the second. People: N. W. Walker Place: UNC campus, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, September 4, 1925, p. 3
  11. The General Education Board gives $75,000 to make the Chapel Hill high school a University training school By early June 1926 the General Education Board of New York had given $75,000, to be spent over five years, for the Chapel Hill high school, which became in effect a branch of the University's school of education. The fund, run jointly by the University and the town school board, paid most of the salaries of new teachers who would also hold University rank, and the board's representative said the aim was a model public school. People: N. W. Walker, L. R. Sides Place: Chapel Hill school, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Chapel Hill high schoolSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, June 4, 1926, p. 1
  12. The Chapel Hill school opens under its cooperative plan with the University's school of education The Chapel Hill school opened on September 13, 1926, with three new high school teachers who also held the rank of University assistant professors, the first fruit of the General Education Board gift that tied the school to the University's school of education. H. L. Munch in mathematics, William Doub Ker in French and C. C. Certain in English joined the faculty under E. R. Mosher as director of training; enrollment reached 515 in the first week, and a new bus was added for children from the White Cross section. People: N. W. Walker, L. R. Sides Place: Chapel Hill school, Chapel Hill · Also named: E. R. Mosher, H. L. Munch, William Doub Ker, C. C. CertainSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, September 17, 1926, p. 1
Show all 24 dated events
  1. Trustees appoint Sallie Belle Marks and Cecilia Hatrick Bason, the first women on the faculty With little discussion, the June trustees made both women assistant professors as part of a push to improve teacher training. Marks became supervising principal of the elementary grades at the university's training school in Chapel Hill; Bason worked for the Extension Division from Asheville. Once women were on the faculty, women graduates could join the American Association of University Women. People: N. W. Walker Place: School of Education, UNC, Chapel Hill · Also named: Sallie Belle Marks, Cecilia Hatrick BasonSearch the index · Howard E. Covington Jr., Fire and Stone: The Making of the University of North Carolina under Presidents Edward Kidder Graham and Harry Woodburn Chase (2018), pp. 369-370 · Also: Chapel Hill Weekly, June 10, 1927, p. 4; Chapel Hill Weekly, August 19, 1927, p. 4
  2. The University summer school closes with 2,554 registered The second term of the 1927 Summer School ended with examinations on August 29 and 30. The Weekly reported 2,554 registrations for the two terms, a larger attendance than ever before, with 485 students in the graduate school (141 more than in 1926) and 32.8 percent of all students already holding college degrees. People: N. W. Walker Place: University of North Carolina, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, September 2, 1927, p. 1
  3. E. R. Mosher resigns as superintendent of the Chapel Hill school After a second outcry among parents over second graders being told to return in the afternoon, and street criticism that the University's school of education dominated the town school, Superintendent E. R. Mosher offered his resignation 'in the interest of community harmony' at a school board meeting, and the board accepted it. H. F. Munch took charge of the high school and Sallie B. Marks of the elementary grades until a new superintendent was elected. People: N. W. Walker Place: Chapel Hill school board, Chapel Hill · Also named: E. R. Mosher, H. F. Munch, Sallie B. MarksSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, October 28, 1927, p. 1
  4. Chapel Hill school board restores teachers' salaries after cutting them Facing a $5,000 operating deficit and a $16,000 accumulated debt, the Chapel Hill school board sent teachers reappointment offers in early May 1928 with sharp pay cuts, some from $1,800 to $1,200. After a week of public concern it met on May 16 and restored the old salary schedule by reorganizing the teaching force and leaving one vacancy unfilled. People: N. W. Walker Place: Chapel Hill school · Also mentions: Chapel Hill school boardSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, May 18, 1928, p. 1
  5. University Summer School enrolls a record 1,752 students The first term of the University's 1928 Summer School, which opened June 14, enrolled 1,752 students, the largest summer body yet, mostly teachers, from 21 states and every North Carolina county but two; Orange sent 106, more than any other county. The second term enrolled 902, also a record. People: N. W. Walker Place: University of North Carolina, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, August 3, 1928, p. 1
  6. Chapel Hill citizens agree to underwrite the teachers' back pay Meeting with the school board, a group of citizens resolved to have the bank lend about $7,500 on notes they would endorse, each endorser liable for no more than $100, so the teachers could be paid at once. The loan was to be repaid from a $16,500 school bond issue, which needed a special act of the legislature and a vote, and the University's business office was to keep the school's accounts. People: Dudley Dewitt Carroll, Harry Woodburn Chase, N. W. Walker, L. B. Rogerson, Gustave M. Braune Place: Chapel Hill school, West Franklin Street, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, September 28, 1928, p. 1
  7. M. E. Hogan and R. E. Coker are elected to the Chapel Hill school board Meeting jointly with the hold-over school board members on June 24, 1929, the Chapel Hill aldermen elected banker M. E. Hogan and zoologist R. E. Coker to the town's school board, succeeding N. W. Walker and R. A. Eubanks. The board's next task was choosing a successor to superintendent B. A. Stevens. People: R. E. Coker, N. W. Walker, Robert A. Eubanks, Milton E. Hogan Place: Town Hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, June 28, 1929, p. 1
  8. University summer school opens with a record 1,365 students The University summer school held its opening ceremonies on the central lawn of the campus with about 1,500 people present, as registration reached a record 1,365, 215 more than the year before. Retiring President Harry W. Chase gave a farewell talk and President-elect Frank Graham spoke on the work of teachers. People: Harry Woodburn Chase, Frank Porter Graham, N. W. Walker Place: Central lawn, UNC, Chapel Hill · Also named: Frank GrahamSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, June 20, 1930, p. 1
  9. Paul Green arranges to buy about 200 acres east of Chapel Hill Playwright Paul Green arranged to buy about 200 acres east of the village, joining the part of the old Strowd farm known as the Hargrave place with N. W. Walker's adjoining land running south to the Raleigh road. He chose a house site on a hilltop by a grove of elms where the Hargrave family home was said to have stood before the Civil War, and tree surgeons and clearing crews were already at work. People: Paul Green, N. W. Walker Place: Old Hargrave place, east of Chapel Hill between the Raleigh and Durham roadsSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, August 25, 1933, p. 1
  10. The first summer school of the consolidated University opens under W. C. Jackson The summer schools at Chapel Hill, Greensboro and Raleigh opened under one director, W. C. Jackson, with coordinated courses and most elementary-education courses moved to Greensboro; only Chapel Hill offered a second term. Chapel Hill's first-term enrollment passed 800, more than expected, and included relief social workers sent by the Emergency Relief Administration. People: N. W. Walker Place: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · Also named: W. C. JacksonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, June 8, 1934, p. 1
  11. Marion R. Trabue succeeds N. W. Walker as head of the University's education department Marion R. Trabue, professor of educational administration and director of the bureau of educational research since 1922, was appointed head of the University's department of education, succeeding Nathan W. Walker, who resigned because of failing health. Walker had served the University since 1903 and built up its summer school. People: N. W. Walker Place: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · Also named: Marion R. TrabueSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, September 20, 1935, p. 1
  12. Former summer school and education dean N. W. Walker dies Walker had headed the university's summer school and its school of education until he retired with a heart ailment in the summer of 1934. He died at his home after a long illness on February 13, 1936, at 61. After his death his house at 517 East Rosemary Street was sold to education professor Guy B. Phillips, and Albert and Gladys Coates stayed on in the cottage behind it. People: Gladys Hall Coates Place: 517 East Rosemary Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Guy B. Phillips · Also mentions: East Rosemary StreetSearch the index · Howard E. Covington Jr., The Good Government Man: Albert Coates and the Early Years of the Institute of Government (2018), p. 165 · Also: Chapel Hill Weekly, February 21, 1936, p. 5; Chapel Hill Weekly, April 3, 1936, p. 2

People named in the same events

People named in the same dated entries as N. W. Walker, those sharing the most entries first. Each line links one of the shared entries in the chronology, where its source is cited. A shared entry shows these people in the same event, not how well they knew each other.

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Indexed works

Works about or by N. W. Walker. Each links to the institution that holds or provides it. Background reading appears below.

Patterson's General Store Ledger

Store, Patterson's General · 1910

Account ledger of Patterson's General Store in Chapel Hill for 1910 to 1911, recording what customers owed. Accounts run from townspeople and the university Athletic Association to figures such as Kemp Plummer Battle, Edward Kidder Graham, Collier Cobb, Horace Williams and Louis Round Wilson, and firms including the Bank of Chapel Hill, Odell Hardware, Standard Oil and the Southern Railway. Part of North Carolina Memory.

Included because: Catalog heading in the DPLA record: Walker, N. W. (Nathan Walker), 1875-1936.

DigitalNC DPLA

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Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Site locations from the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office survey, Open Orange, Orange County GIS, OpenStreetMap and a few other published sources named on each site’s page; town and community pins show approximate locations.

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Picture: N. W. Walker, portrait plate, 1905. Public domain. Kemp P. Battle, History of the University of North Carolina, vol. 2 (1912); via the Internet Archive

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