[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 19105-19106]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



      DR. GERALD WALTON, RETIRED UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI PROVOST

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, today I want to honor a man of integrity, 
perseverance, intellect, and dedication. Dr. Gerald Walton recently 
retired from my alma mater, the University of

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Mississippi. Dr. Walton has served Ole Miss for nearly forty years in 
several capacities ranging from a part-time English instructor in 1959 
to the position of Provost from which he is retiring.
  Born and raised in Neshoba County, Mississippi, Dr. Walton has been a 
great servant of higher education in Mississippi. He graduated from the 
University of Southern Mississippi in 1956 with a degree in English. He 
then attended Ole Miss, where he obtained his master's degree and then 
his doctorate. Dr. Walton's next step was a stint as a teaching 
assistant. Once he got his foot in the door, he quickly gained the 
respect of his colleagues and began to move up in the ranks. He has 
demonstrated exemplary commitment to public education.
  In addition to managing the demands of a career in academia, Dr. 
Walton has been dedicated to his family. He has always put his wife and 
three daughters first. I am envious of all the free time he will have 
for his four grandchildren.
  Mr. President, Dr. Walton has stood the test of time. He has adjusted 
to the many changes Ole Miss and our society have experienced. Dr. 
Walton has always stood by his principles of right and wrong, which 
were first professionally tested in 1962. He was one of only a handful 
of faculty who publicly supported James Meredith and the integration of 
Ole Miss. Several members of the faculty advised him not to sign a 
letter of support, but as Dr. Walton would say, ``I felt it was the 
right thing for me to do.'' His character was challenged early and he 
passed with flying colors.
  Dr. Walton's abilities and personal demeanor have made him one of the 
favorite administrators on campus, a fact which is evidenced by his 
holding several leadership positions during his tenure at Ole Miss. He 
has been described as modest and deeply principled. Often, Dr. Walton 
has been the one who carried the responsibility and made crucial 
decisions, but he shies from the spotlight, and allows others to be 
recognized and applauded. Today, we applaud Gerald Walton.
  Mr. President, at Ole Miss, Dr. Walton has proven himself to be 
multi-talented. He has served the University as a teaching assistant, 
Assistant Professor, the Director of Freshman English, the Associate 
Dean and Dean of Liberal Arts, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic 
Affairs, Interim Chancellor, and finally in the position of Provost. In 
each of his positions, Dr. Walton has been the type of leader for whom 
every one of his students and colleagues would do most anything. Other 
contributions on his long list of accomplishments are the roles he 
played in organizing the first Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference 
and the Oxford Conference for the Book.
  Mr. President, Dr. Walton is not one to brag on himself, but never 
thought twice about bragging on the University or his colleagues. I am 
pleased to have the opportunity to honor such a deserving individual. I 
trust that the Senate will join me in congratulating Dr. Gerald Walton 
on his retirement from a distinguished career at the University of 
Mississippi. My dear friend, Chancellor Robert C. Khayat, said it best 
when he was speaking of Dr. Walton. He said, ``Truly, Gerald Walton can 
move into the next phase of his life knowing that the words, `Well 
done, my faithful servant,' apply to him.''

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