HISTORIAN
WRITER
LECTURER
Gary Wayne Walker was born in Los Angeles in 1941 to Alice Anita Millarr Walker and Ernest Eugene Walker, a prominent Hollywood attorney. The third of three sons, Gary grew up in North Hollywood where he attended public schools through the eighth grade.
Following the death of his father in 1955, Gary was awarded a competitive four-year scholarship to Black-Foxe Military Institute in Hollywood. Over the next four years, he represented Black-Foxe at Boy's State in Sacramento, was promoted to the rank of captain and commander of Headquarters Company, and, in 1959, received the highest award given to a graduating senior. In 1963, he graduated from Occidental College with a BA degree in political science. He minored in history.
Upon graduating from college, Gary joined the US Army Reserve as an enlisted man. After completing six months of training at Ft. Ord in California, he was assigned to an army intelligence unit based in Los Angeles, where he served as the unit's personnel specialist for six years. Gary was discharged in 1969. He was never called to active duty.
After a fifteen year insurance career as a home office marketing manager, including seven years in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Gary relocated to Fresno, California in 1979, where he became a successful branch office sales manager and insurance agent. He holds the CPCU, CLU and ChFC professional insurance designations from the American College, the equivalent of 69 units of upper division college work. He also served as president of the Fresno Life Underwriters Association, as national committeeman for five years, and as an officer on the state board for two years. In 2002, Gary received the Olmsted Award, a lifetime achievement award for outstanding service to the insurance and financial services industry in 2002. After forty-three years in the industry, he retired in 2007.
Gary has written two novels, "Vengeance Is Mine," which appeared in July, 2013, as a trade paperback and Kindle download. The book received favorable ratings from, among others, Kirkus Reviews, a highly respected New York City rating firm. His second novel, "Vengeance Unbound," has been available since December, 2016.
Since 2007, Gary has been a regular contributor/columnist for The Fresno Bee on their Sunday op-ed page. Over the past decade, h has been featured in The Fresno Bee more than sixty times, not including letters to the editor.
Active as a lecturer Gary has made numerous public appearances in recent years before local groups, including retirement and fraternal organizations, Unitarian-Universalist Town Hall, the Kennedy Club, Lion's Club, St. Paul's Armenian Church Men's Forum, SIRS (Seniors in Retirement) and Fresno Mensa.
Since 2018, Gary has been lecturing at Fresno State under the auspices of the Osher program for senior citizens. His topics include American Political History, 20th Century Europe, and Legendary Geniuses from Leonardo da Vinci to Einstein.
Recent lectures include "Adventures in Genius," featuring Leonardo da Vinci, Voltaire, Napoleon, Charles Dickens, Benjamin Franklin, Mark Twain, Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer, a total of four ninety- -minute presentations.
In February, 2022, Gary lectured on "20th Century Literary Giants" --Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Margaret Mitchell, James Michener and Sir Arthur ConanDoyle." These presentations were zoomed.
Happily married since 2003 to the former Lonna Costa Deeter, Gary is the proud father of two sons from a previous marriage, Scott and Gary, Jr. Lonna and Gary have four grandchildren.
Gary is a member of San Joaquin Valley Town Hall, GB 3 Gym, and the Fresno Community United Church of Christ, a progressive Congregational Church.
You can email Gary at gwwalker61@gmail.com
Following the death of his father in 1955, Gary was awarded a competitive four-year scholarship to Black-Foxe Military Institute in Hollywood. Over the next four years, he represented Black-Foxe at Boy's State in Sacramento, was promoted to the rank of captain and commander of Headquarters Company, and, in 1959, received the highest award given to a graduating senior. In 1963, he graduated from Occidental College with a BA degree in political science. He minored in history.
Upon graduating from college, Gary joined the US Army Reserve as an enlisted man. After completing six months of training at Ft. Ord in California, he was assigned to an army intelligence unit based in Los Angeles, where he served as the unit's personnel specialist for six years. Gary was discharged in 1969. He was never called to active duty.
After a fifteen year insurance career as a home office marketing manager, including seven years in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Gary relocated to Fresno, California in 1979, where he became a successful branch office sales manager and insurance agent. He holds the CPCU, CLU and ChFC professional insurance designations from the American College, the equivalent of 69 units of upper division college work. He also served as president of the Fresno Life Underwriters Association, as national committeeman for five years, and as an officer on the state board for two years. In 2002, Gary received the Olmsted Award, a lifetime achievement award for outstanding service to the insurance and financial services industry in 2002. After forty-three years in the industry, he retired in 2007.
Gary has written two novels, "Vengeance Is Mine," which appeared in July, 2013, as a trade paperback and Kindle download. The book received favorable ratings from, among others, Kirkus Reviews, a highly respected New York City rating firm. His second novel, "Vengeance Unbound," has been available since December, 2016.
Since 2007, Gary has been a regular contributor/columnist for The Fresno Bee on their Sunday op-ed page. Over the past decade, h has been featured in The Fresno Bee more than sixty times, not including letters to the editor.
Active as a lecturer Gary has made numerous public appearances in recent years before local groups, including retirement and fraternal organizations, Unitarian-Universalist Town Hall, the Kennedy Club, Lion's Club, St. Paul's Armenian Church Men's Forum, SIRS (Seniors in Retirement) and Fresno Mensa.
Since 2018, Gary has been lecturing at Fresno State under the auspices of the Osher program for senior citizens. His topics include American Political History, 20th Century Europe, and Legendary Geniuses from Leonardo da Vinci to Einstein.
Recent lectures include "Adventures in Genius," featuring Leonardo da Vinci, Voltaire, Napoleon, Charles Dickens, Benjamin Franklin, Mark Twain, Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer, a total of four ninety- -minute presentations.
In February, 2022, Gary lectured on "20th Century Literary Giants" --Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Margaret Mitchell, James Michener and Sir Arthur ConanDoyle." These presentations were zoomed.
Happily married since 2003 to the former Lonna Costa Deeter, Gary is the proud father of two sons from a previous marriage, Scott and Gary, Jr. Lonna and Gary have four grandchildren.
Gary is a member of San Joaquin Valley Town Hall, GB 3 Gym, and the Fresno Community United Church of Christ, a progressive Congregational Church.
You can email Gary at gwwalker61@gmail.com