[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 19 (Tuesday, February 2, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E90]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING LEE DUDLEY WALKER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. H. MORGAN GRIFFITH

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 2, 2021

  Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I offer these remarks in honor of Lee 
Dudley Walker of Martinsville, Virginia, who passed away on January 12, 
2021 at the age of 90. Dudley Walker was a business and community 
leader who made a tremendous contribution to the Martinsville-Henry 
County area.
  Mr. Walker was born on July 20, 1930 in Martinsville to Virginia 
Dudley and Samuel Stanhope Walker. He graduated as the valedictorian of 
Martinsville High School in 1947 and earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 
the Boy Scouts of America. The next year, he attained a post-graduate 
certificate from Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Georgia. In 
1952, he graduated from North Carolina State University, where he had 
served in the Reserve Officer's Training Corps and became Cadet 
Regimental Adjutant. Mr. Walker served for two years in the United 
States Army and was assigned to the Armed Services Textile and Apparel 
Procurement Agency in New York City.
  Upon completion of his military service, Mr. Walker returned home to 
join the family business, the Walker Knitting Company founded by his 
father Samuel in 1928. Samuel Walker also served as president of the 
Bassett-Walker Knitting Company. Dudley Walker became president of the 
Walker Knitting Company, and upon his father's death in 1960 he led 
both companies. They merged in 1964 under the Bassett-Walker Knitting 
Company name.
  Under Mr. Walker's leadership, Bassett-Walker grew. It built a sewing 
plant in Stuart in 1965 and in Hillsville and Brookneal in the 1970s. 
It subsequently acquired yarn manufacturer Johnston Mills Co., opened 
divisions in Ferrum and Stoneville, North Carolina, and opened a 
distribution center in Henry County. At its zenith, Bassett-Walker 
owned 13 plants and employed more than 7,000 workers, helping 
Martinsville earn its reputation as ``The Sweatshirt Capital of the 
World.'' The company became part of VF Corp in 1984. Mr. Walker 
operated as Chairman of Knitwear for VF until 1986 and remained on the 
company's board until 2000. He acted not only as an executive but as a 
community leader whose businesses were an important support to the 
people of the area.
  Beyond his role in this industry, at the time so fundamental to the 
Martinsville-Henry County area, Mr. Walker was a dedicated 
philanthropist. Wanting to keep young people in the region, he became a 
driving force behind the founding of Carlisle School, playing active 
roles from helping to choose the school's site to recruiting staff. He 
donated to Patrick Henry Community College, the YMCA, and the Boys and 
Girls Club of the Blue Ridge, among other organizations. He was a 
lifelong member of Broad Street Christian Church, which his mother had 
helped found.
  Among the recognitions Mr. Walker received for his accomplishments 
were the Heck Ford Award from the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of 
Commerce and the Pillar Award from the Martinsville-Henry County 
Economic Development Council for ``Lifetime Contributions to the 
Martinsville-Henry County Business Community.''
  Mr. Walker's survivors include his wife of 65 years, Elizabeth 
Mitchell Walker; son Samuel Stanhope Walker II and wife Janice Meredith 
Walker; daughters Virginia Walker Hamlet and her husband Burgess 
Harrison Hamlet III and Anne Walker Poole and her husband Walker Lynch 
Poole; grandchildren Andrew Linwood Shelton, Blake Thomas Walker, 
Harrison Walker Hamlet, Lee Dudley Hamlet, Mitchell Hudson Hamlet, 
Walker Lynch Poole., Jr., Virginia Buchanan Poole, and Elizabeth Weaver 
Poole; and sister Spotswood Walker Box. I offer them my condolences on 
this loss of this great business leader and philanthropist of the 
Martinsville-Henry County area.

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