Robert O. Walker and Margaret Linzel Walker papers
Collection
0597-GWP
The Robert O. Walker and Margaret Linzel Walker papers highlight the Walkers' individual lives and experiences in Japan from around 1946 to 1952. Robert O. Walker was on assignment overseas as an assistant executive and administrative officer of SCAP (Supreme Commander of Allied Powers). At the end of WWII, Margaret Linzel Walker was working in the Foreign Economic Administration's economic intelligence division. After the war, she worked with occupation forces in Japan til the early 50’s.
The collections contains books, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, postcards, and photographs that illustrate the culture and life in Japan during the Occupation period by the Allied Powers.
This collection is open to the public and must be used in the Special Collections reading room. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.
Photocopies or digital surrogates may be provided in accordance with Special Collections and University Archives duplication policy.
Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs unless otherwise specified. It is the researcher's responsibility to secure permission to publish materials from the appropriate copyright holder.
Archival materials may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal and/or state right to privacy laws or other regulations. While we make a good faith effort to identify and remove such materials, some may be missed during our processing. If a researcher finds sensitive personal information in a collection, please bring it to the attention of the reading room staff.
2.67 Linear Feet (3 Hollinger boxes and 1 oversize box)
31 Items (Books)
2 Items (Photo albums)
118 Photographs
60 Items (Magazines and other (non-book) publications)
English
Japanese
The materials in the collection include books, photo albums, pamphlets, maps, publications (non-books), and miscellaneous documents related to the Walkers' experiences living in Japan during the Occupation. Some of the publications include "Queen of Clubs" monthly magazines (1950-1952).
Robert "Bob" O. Walker and Margaret "Peggy" Linzel Walker met in Japan while they were both working for the Allied Powers. Robert O. Walker was on assignment (1946-1952) to the Statistics and Reports Section of SCAP (Supreme Commander of Allied Powers) as an assistant executive officer. He later became an administrative officer in the Information Division of the Civil Information and Education Section of SCAP (until 1950).
Robert O. Walker also served on the Board of Governors for the Yaesu Club and the Union Club of Tokyo (1950-1952?). He was the vice president and chairman of the policy committee and the chairman of the Union Club's publicity committee. He assisted with the publication of the Union Club's magazine "Queen of Clubs."
Margaret Linzel Walker graduated from Stetson University in 1942 with an Economics/English degree. Following her graduation, she pursued a career in the government and eventually work for the economic intelligence division of the Foreign Economic Administration.
The Walkers married after returning to the United States.
Around the 1960s, Margaret L. Walker started working for the Treasury Department until her retirement in 1981. She became a member of the Treasury Department's Historical Association and received the Meritorius Service Award. Robert Walker became the director of Purchasing at Montgomery College in Maryland and later worked as a purchasing agent for the City of Jacksonville in Florida.
Robert Otis Carter Walker was born to Austin Agustus Walker and Fannie Belle Carter Walker on March 1, 1914 in Lake Butler, Florida. He died at age 94 on July 19, 2008.
Margaret Linzel Walker was born on February 22, 1922 in Washington, D.C. She died at age 73 on July 7, 1994.
This collection is organized into four series:
This collection was donated to the University of Maryland Libraries by Paul Walker (Robert Paul Linzel Walker) on August 7, 2023.
This collection was donated to the University of Maryland Libraries in 2023. The materials were placed in acid-free archival boxes. Loose materials were removed from the two large photo albums and placed in folders with notes added to the preliminary inventory of their former location. Archives staff determined that the books would be cataloged and remain with the archival materials for enhanced accessibility.
Some books have brittle pages and torn covers. Three book covers were placed in book jackets. One book "Quaint Customs and Manners of Japan" has the cover and some pages separated from the main text block - currently tied together. Items were rehoused from two oversize flat boxes into 1 smaller oversize flat box and three Hollinger boxes for more stability.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives