Awards
- School of Education Distinguished Alumni Award - 1979
- Distinguished Alumni Service Award - 1978
Austin Emery Walker received a master's degree in Education from Indiana University, and with it, the philosophy that each individual had the right to an education commensurate to his needs and abilities. Entering the teaching profession, he moved from teacher, to principal, to superintendent of schools, his career always earmarked by consistently advocating quality education.
One of the first to recognize the need for special education and career education programs, Walker is credited with tremendous strides in curriculum development in his schools. It was under his leadership that the Metropolitan School District of Warren Township in central Indiana was recognized as a successful school system.
Walker worked hard to register the needs and the perceptions of professional education organizations through his service as legislative chairman of the Indiana State Teachers Association, member of the General Commission of the State Board of Education and president of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents and the Public School Study Council. He also supported IU with his talent and financial assistance while serving as president of the School of Education Alumni Association.