Walter Louis Balk

Balk, Walter Louis DELMAR Walter died at home on July 24, 2008, surrounded by family. He had battled cancer for two years. Born in 1924 in Buffalo, N.Y., Walter grew up in Paris and Rio de Janeiro. He spoke English, French, Port-uguese, and German fluently, and was conversant in Italian, Spanish, and Tagalog. After serving in the Philippines as a field artillery flash ranger observer 1944-1946, he earned an engineering degree from Lafayette College. He played lacrosse and was active in community theater, where he met Ann Katherine Heins during a production of "Twelfth Night." They married in 1951 and settled in Woodstock, N.Y. Walter worked for IBM for over ten years in Endicott and Poughkeepsie, then returned to college, receiving his Ph.D. from the School of Public Affairs and Labor Relations at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. In 1966, he joined the faculty of Rockefeller College at the University at Albany, where he taught for 25 years. Walter joined the college when it was still known as the Graduate School of Public Affairs and was one of the core founding members of the Rockefeller College faculty. He was responsible for hiring and mentoring a generation of young faculty members, as well as Ph.D. students who now teach public administration around the world. He mentored several generations of students in the masters of public administration program, students who now hold administration posts at the New York State, federal, and international levels. Walter was a champion of grass roots democracy. The author of numerous articles and a book ("Managerial Reform and Professional Empowerment in the Public Service," Quorum Press 1996), he encouraged governments and corporations to value the insights of all workers. Throughout his life, he listened carefully to everyone he worked with, from production line assemblers to presidents to janitors to CEOs. The recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship, Walter traveled to Africa, Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia. He promoted ethical and effective work with projects as diverse as police neighborhood patrols, public productivity in the collective bargaining process, and the use of new technologies to enhance productivity and public service. He was highly sought after as a consultant. Numerous foreign graduate students came to Albany to study with him. Walter delighted in meeting people from all over the world. He exchanged letters for years with a gondolier he met in Venice, struck up conversations with Sudanese grounds keepers, and sang Tagalog songs with nurses at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. His playful, humorous spirit came alive with his family and friends. He adored his grandchildren. He loved reading, fishing, and camping, and animals of all sorts, especially cats, dogs, hummingbirds, ducks, and Alfonse, the big bass in the pasture pond. Walter is survived by Ann Heins Balk, his wife of over 58 years; son, Peter Balk of Port Townsend, Wash.; daughter, Amy Balk Armstrong (Laurence) of Indianapolis; daughter, Christianne Balk (Karl Flaccus) of Seattle; and grandchildren, Austin, Lauren, Jessie, Samuel, and Elizabella; and many extended family and friends. A memorial service will be held Saturday, September 13, 2008 at the SUNY Albany Alumni House, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, N.Y.: visitation 1:30 p.m., service 3:00 p.m., reception 4:00 p.m. RSVPs appreciated at 206-380-9544, or c/o Balk, PO Box 15633, Seattle, WA 98115. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to PLAN USA, an international non-profit, non-partisan organization which develops programs worldwide to support orphans and underprivileged children. See www.planusa.org, 155 Plan Way, Warwick, RI 02886.