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On the first of January, just a few hours after the turn of the year the oldest living graduate of West Point, Colonel <em>Edgar S. Walker</em>, heard the faraway sound of recall. Quietly and without pain this grand old soldier left our ranks shortly after 7 o’clock in the evening to join the others in the Valhalla of the brave. Here was a man who lived every full minute of a long and happy life.</p>
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Ninety-six years ago, Edgar Walker, was born on a farm in Missouri. He enjoyed a happy boyhood and, in the company of his brothers, delighted in all the outdoor life that was readily available—hunting, fishing, riding, trapping, plus hard work on his father’s estate. He received his higher education at the Missouri Military Academy followed by a course at the University of Missouri. Finally came the fulfillment of his wish, an appointment to West Point as a member of the Class of 1883.</p>
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His tour as a cadet was in every way successful. Cadet Walker was popular with his classmates, his athletic abilities culminated in the award of two medals in recognition of his skill in riding and in revolver and rifle shooting. It was in June of 1882 that he had the pleasure of extending recognition to a new cadet and fellow Missourian, John J. Pershing. The graduating Class of 1883 numbered fifty-two. Second Lieutenant Edgar Walker, ASN 3014, chose the Infantry. His first station was in the Dakota Territory.</p>
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Duty was stern in the Dakotas, and it took rugged men. The Indian wars were at their height in the borderlands. In the records of Edgar Walker is a special citation for “distinguished service in Indian warfare in maintaining the supremacy of the United States of America”—a citation deeply honored, highly deserved, and hard to come by in those days.</p>
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While on duty at Fort Totten in the Dakota Territory, Second Lieutenant Walker received orders to report to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to take an examination for promotion to first lieutenant. It was forty miles to the nearest train station; in between lay territory close to the Bad Lands and controlled by hostile Indians. The only way through for a single rider was to attempt the trip at night. This promotion meant a great deal to the young officer, he felt he must get through. The experiences of this ride are not available in detail but we do know that it was completed after a couple of close calls. The trip was felt to have been well worth the risk, he was now First Lieutenant Walker.</p>
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While stationed in the Dakotas he met his future bride, Miss Sally Rice Stringfellow of Gainesville, Florida, who was visiting in the Territory with her mother. Edgar and Sally were married in Gainesville in 1886. It was an unusually happy marriage. Their lives were filled with companionship and a closeness that dented the hard knocks. Lieutenant Walker took his bride back with him to Wyoming where he was again stationed in the Indian Territory. Their first child, Elise, was born at Fort Russell and nursed by a trusted Indian Squaw.</p>
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In 1890, the Army ordered First Lieutenant Walker to Alaska to aid in restoring some semblance of law and order to the then unknown territory. The expedition consisted of twenty-five enlisted men and two officers. First Lieutenant Walker was in command. Arriving at St. Michael near the mouth of the Yukon River, the expedition discovered the town to consist principally of two trading posts. A single judge in Nome, several hundred miles away was the only civil authority in the territory. Worse, gold had been discovered up the river in the Yukon hinterlands and the rush was on. The first problem was a frontier confidence game involving bogus river steamer transportation. The operators, selling passage up the Yukon River for $250.00 a head, transported gold seekers about twenty-five miles up river in an old fishing boat and left them at a landing where, they were told, the steamer would shortly pick them up for the rest of the 200 mile trip. The steamer, of course, never arrived. Lieutenant Walker quickly stepped in and ended this lucrative frontier confidence game by rounding up the bogus boat operators. Next came the mining camps.</p>
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Claim jumping was so rampant it was difficult to determine the true owners. In many cases the bank could not determine who owned the gold dust stored in its safe. Lieutenant Walker had the troops collect the gold dust in the disputed cases and determined who was the rightful owner. A task sometimes complicated by the untimely demise of some of the participant miners at the hands of their rivals. For four years, away from their families except for short summer visits, this army detachment helped to restore order in the Territory; not to mention unrelated assignments such as rounding up the newly introduced reindeer herd for a drive to regions farther south where grazing was better.</p>
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Finally, the tour was finished and Lieutenant Walker returned home. As a captain he then served as commandant of the Missouri Military Academy followed by a tour in the Philippines. In 1906 a service incurred disability curtailed his further active service and he retired in 1906. Knowing Florida by reason of his wife’s home there, he selected this state in which to live. Two years later, upon his own application, he was called back to active duty as professor of military science and tactics at the University of Florida. This began an association with the university which lasted for some 25 productive and enjoyable years.</p>
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During World War I, while still assigned to the university, he also served as recruiting officer for the State of Florida, and as an instructor at the ROTC summer camp at Plattsburg, New York; summer duty that afforded him the opportunity to visit his Alma Mater on occasion.</p>
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In 1918, Colonel Walker retired again from active duty, and sheathed his saber for good. As a direct result of Colonel Walker’s high caliber of performance of duty, the University of Florida was judged by the War Department as one of the twelve Distinguished Colleges of the nation as determined by the annual inspection. He became a professor of the University of Florida. His life was filled with working with his young students, and in enjoying the outdoors. On his 84th birthday he shot an 84 at golf—one stroke for every year of his life. Colonel Walker attributed his longevity to outdoor activity and heredity. “I feel that my life on a farm where I spent many hours working, hunting, and fishing gave me a good start. My career as an Infantry officer, with its additional outdoor living, has contributed greatly to my good health.” Those who knew him also feel that his kind heart, warm friendliness and soldierly manliness also made him & selected person.</p>
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A few months ago Colonel Walker’s wife, his beloved Sally, eighty-eight years fair, slipped away to cross the Great Divide. The old Indian Fighter was not long to follow. The notes of recall grew stronger in his ears. He looked out into the warm Florida sunlight and thought of his Sally that he longed to see. It was winter now; snow would be in soft drifts throughout the Dakota Badlands; the Yukon flowed under the thick ice. All of his classmates. And Sally. It was time.</p>
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<em>—John W. Walker, Lieutenant Colonel, Arty, ‘39</em></p>