LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Dr. Retia Walker, the first African-American female dean at the University of Kentucky, was honored Sunday by her family and friends with a drive-by parade on her 80th birthday.
She was supposed to be on a cruise for this milestone birthday, just like she had done when she turned 60-and-70, but the coronavirus changed those plans.
Instead of being on the water or in-port at some exotic location, she was on her front porch as members of her church at St. Paul AME, drove by honking and waving from a safe social distance.
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton proclaimed Sunday, June 21, 2020, as ‘Dr. Retia S. Walker Day’ in honor of the pioneering woman who was inducted into the University of Kentucky Hall of Fame in 2017.
“This is special. A special day. So, just watch out, ten years from now I’ll be celebrating my 90th birthday. You’ll be back,” says Dr. Walker.
She retired from the university in 2005 as the Vice President for Academic Outreach and Public Service.
To learn more about Dr. Walker’s remarkable life, click here.