Dear Colleagues,

It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that Professor (Emeritus) Orville Walker, Jr. passed away on March 14. Professor Walker was one of the key building blocks in making the Minnesota Marketing department the high-quality department that it is today.

Orville C. Walker, Jr. was a Professor at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, where he served until 2002 as the James D. Watkins Professor of Marketing. He held a Master’s degree in social psychology from the Ohio State University and a PhD in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Professor Walker was the co-author of three books and published more than 50 research articles on a wide range of topics, including consumer behavior, distribution and retail management, sales force motivation, marketing strategies, and the implementation of marketing programs. He won several awards for his research, including the O’Dell award from the Journal of Marketing Research, the Maynard award from the Journal of Marketing, and a lifetime achievement award from the Sales Management Interest Group of the American Marketing Association.

He consulted with a number of business firms and not-for-profit organizations, and taught in executive development programs around the world, including programs in Poland, Switzerland, Scotland and Hong Kong. Perhaps his biggest business challenge, however, was attempting to turn a profit as the owner-manager of a small vineyard in western Wisconsin.

Regards,

Akshay Rao