The Honorable Joseph Monroe Walker, III of West Roxbury, Massachusetts, an Associate Justice of The Massachusetts Superior Court, passed away suddenly at his home on Tuesday, July 8, 2014.
Justice Walker was born in Winston-Salem, NC to the late Dr. Joseph M. Walker, Jr. and Melanie Pruitt Walker. He attended St. Paul’s School, Concord, New Hampshire, graduating in 1969.
Justice Walker graduated from Harvard College, in 1973, received a Master of Education degree from Harvard in 1974, and earned his Juris Doctor Degree from the University of California Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) in 1978.
He served as an Assistant District Attorney in Oakland, California; an Assistant District Attorney for Suffolk County, Massachusetts; and, an Assistant United States Attorney for Massachusetts. Justice Walker was appointed to the Dorchester District Court by then Governor William Weld in 1994 after which Governor Paul Cellucci appointed him to the Massachusetts Superior Court in 2000.
Justice Walker was as a member of the St. Paul’s School Board of Trustees from 1998 – 2007, holding an office on the Board in his final three years of service. He had special fondness for the Advanced Studies Program for high school students. Prior to his 45th reunion this spring, the Form of 1969 elected him to be the Form Director for the next five years.
He is survived by his loving sister, Melanie Walker Harewood, and her husband, Dr. Ivor Harewood, and his beloved niece, Dr. Meredith Eileen Harewood, all of Los Angeles, California. Justice Walker is also survived by loving cousins, and innumerable close friends and colleagues.
A memorial service to honor Justice Walker's life will take place on Saturday, July 26, 2014, at 12:00 Noon at The Memorial Church, Harvard University, One Harvard Yard, Cambridge, with a celebration following at the Harvard Faculty Club, 20 Quincy Street, Cambridge.
In lieu of flowers, donations honoring Justice Walker's memory may be made to St. Paul’s School at 325 Pleasant Street, Concord, New Hampshire 03301-2591.