During the war years, he served with distinction in the Army in the South Pacific and received an honorable discharge in 1946. Educated at Princeton and MIT in chemical engineering, he earned a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate from these institutions.
Walker was employed for his entire career in the chemical products division of the Standard Oil Co. of Indiana, later to become Amoco Chemicals Corp. During his career, he authored several journal articles, was granted five patents, and served on numerous boards and commissions in the industry.
His wife, Elizabeth Chester Ordway, died in 1986. Walker is survived by two sons, Warren Ordway and Willis Dean Bowman; his daughter-in-law, Mame; and five grandchildren. His eldest son, Walker IV, died in 2006 while testing a new aircraft.