[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 72 (Thursday, May 26, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S6016]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO CHARLIE WALKER

 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I want to pay tribute today to an 
outstanding public servant, educator, and communicator, Charlie Walker. 
Charlie is retiring after a distinguished 40-year career in teaching 
and government service at the local, State and Federal levels, most 
recently as director of government affairs for the Baltimore District, 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I extend my personal congratulations and 
thanks for his many years of dedicated service and contributions to the 
American people.
  Born in Charleston, WV, Charlie spent much of his youth and career in 
Baltimore, MD. He was a graduate of Clifton Park Junior High and 
Baltimore's City College, one of the oldest and finest public high 
schools in the country. He won scholarships to Towson State Teachers 
College, now Towson University, where he excelled academically and in 
his extracurricular activities, selected to serve not only as president 
of the Phi Alpha Theta Honorary Society in history but also as a 
manager of three sports teams--soccer, wrestling, and track. Upon 
graduation in 1963, Charlie taught for 3 years in Baltimore's secondary 
schools and then enrolled in West Virginia University to earn a 
master's degree in history. In 1966, Charlie enlisted in the U.S. Army 
and served for a 3-year period in Vietnam and at the Walter Reed Army 
Medical Center. He returned to West Virginia University to obtain a 
Ph.D. in history, and worked in various and progressively responsible 
positions in local, State and Federal Government, including service as 
an historian and public affairs officer with the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, an aide to the mayor of Baltimore and a research analyst 
with the Library of Congress.
  In 1987, Charlie Walker was tapped to lead the public affairs office 
of the newly established Maryland Department of the Environment, and it 
was in this position that I first had the opportunity and privilege of 
working closely with Charlie. A highly skilled communicator and 
manager, Charlie assembled a terrific team to promote the initiatives 
of the new department and to protect and restore the quality of 
Maryland's air, water, and land resources. Charlie and his team set a 
standard for outreach and responsiveness that few, if any, agencies 
have been able to match. He served in this position until 1991 when he 
was recruited, as government affairs officer for the Baltimore 
District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to help the district restore 
relations and responsiveness with the Congress and other levels of 
government. Over the past 14 years, Charlie has been a trusted adviser 
to six district engineers, and the principal point of contact for 
Members of Congress and our staffs from the Five States and the 
District of Columbia, which encompass the Baltimore District's 
jurisdiction.
  With his in-depth knowledge, political astuteness, and a dedication 
to public service that is second to none, Charlie has remained a 
constant force in moving the Army Corps of Engineers' programs and 
services forward. He is well known, widely respected, and well liked, 
not only among the staff at the Baltimore District but throughout the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and beyond. He is the core of the Corps. 
His advice is constantly sought for improving communications and 
relations with the press, the public and with elected officials at all 
levels of government. Over the years, he has inspired great loyalty in 
the members of the Baltimore District staff and affection from the 
countless others with whom he has worked. He will be sorely missed by 
those of us who have had the pleasure of working with him.
  Throughout the course of his career, Charlie has received numerous 
honors including the Commander's Award for Civil Service, Governor's 
Salute to Excellence Award, and the Maryland Department of the 
Environment Award for Outstanding Public Service. In addition to his 
public service, Charlie has volunteered a great deal of time and energy 
serving on the numerous organizations, including the Phi Alpha Theta 
History Society, the Society of American Military Engineers, and the 
Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs.
  It is my firm conviction that public service and teaching are among 
the most honorable callings. They demand the very best, most dedicated 
efforts of those who have the opportunity to serve their fellow 
citizens. Throughout his career Charlie Walker has exemplified a 
steadfast commitment to meeting this demand. I want to extend my 
personal congratulations and thanks for his many years of hard work and 
dedication and wish him well in the years ahead.

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