News

14 FAMILY MEMBERS GRADUATE IN 2009

By Tirzah Pope/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 9:27 AM CDT

As families watch their 2009 graduates receive their diplomas this year, one family in particular has 14 reasons to celebrate.

The Walker family, which includes members from Dumas, Pine Bluff and throughout Southeast Arkansas, produced 14 graduates this year from college, high school and preschool.

Inez Walker, 49, the oldest graduate in the family, has just earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

“I always wanted to go to college but, decided to wait till my children were finished with school to go. I have six children, two of them went on to get their masters’ degrees and one went on to receive their doctorate,” Walker said.

“I always told them to do better than I did. When they finished school, they encouraged me to go back. My dad worked on a farm and he never got the opportunity to finish school. He always told us to make education a priority,” she said.

Like Inez, five other Walker family women decided to go back to school after having their children.

Felicia Walker Sisson, Sharonda Walker, Ruth Gordon, Rosie M. Gordon Jones and Veronica Tensley have all earned their degrees from college.

Inez’s niece Veronica Tensley is a graduate of Southeast Arkansas College

“We all had kids, then decided it was time to go back to school,” she said. “Now, me and my son compare our grades at the end of the year. I tell him that if I can get A’s and B’s in college that he should be able to get them in the fifth grade. Now he’s an honor student.”

“I knew that I had to go to college to set an example for my kids,” Tensley said. “There is always more to learn and I want to learn more.”

Like Inez’s father, Tensley’s grandfather, Ealker B. Walker, also worked on a farm and was only able to complete the third grade because he had to help provide for his family. Tensley said that he also imparted the importance of an education to his children.

Tensley’s five-year-old daughter, Myesha Hudson, is among the youngest graduates. She is graduating from Dumas Migrant School.

“I like school a lot,” she said. “I love playing in the sand box. I like the music they play so I can dance with my friends, Jolie and Anna. I can’t wait to graduate preschool and go to the big school. When I grow up I want to be a nurse.”

Myesha’s dreams of being a nurse may have been influenced by the number of relatives who have gone to work in the medical field.

Dumas High School graduate, Semaj Walker, is also planning on attending college to become a registered nurse.

“There are a lot of my family members who work in the medical field because we like taking care of people and their needs,” Walker said.

The family planned a dinner to celebrate all the accomplishments.

The 2009 Walter family graduates include:

Inez Walker — University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Ruth Gordon — University of Arkansas at Monticello

Rosie M. Gordon Jones — University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Felicia Walker Sisson — Baptist Health College of Nursing

Sharonda Walker — UAPB

Patricia Brown — Southeast Arkansas College

Veronica Tensley — SEARK

Kiondra Walker — Dumas High School

Diondra Walker — Dumas high

Semaj Walker — Dumas high

Cody Walker — Dumas high

Berlandrick Bass — Dumas high

Jamel Fair — Dumas high

Myesha Hudson — Dumas Migrant School

Print this story   |   Email this story