In Memoriam

DR. H. KENNETH WALKER passed away on Feb. 23, 2018, after a sudden illness. He was a professor of global health at Rollins and a professor of medicine and neurology in the Emory School of Medicine. Walker earned his associate’s degree from Emory’s Oxford College, graduated from Emory College, and earned his MD from Emory.

His 60-year career included an unrivaled dedication to Grady Memorial Hospital. His connection to Grady began in 1958 when he was a third-year medical student. He completed his residency training at Grady and remained there until 1965, only leaving to serve two years in the U.S. Air Force in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Walker returned to Grady in 1967 and became a faculty member in 1970, and he eventually served as the assistant chief of the Emory medical service at Grady. He was honored during last year’s Grady White Coat Gala for more than 40 years of service to the hospital.

Walker was committed to global health outreach. He worked in many countries and had a huge impact in the country of Georgia. For more than 25 years, as executive director of Partners for International Development, Walker led the Atlanta-Tbilisi Partnership, a collaboration between educational and health care institutions in the country of Georgia and Atlanta. The partnership’s many projects were and continue to be instrumental in improving the quality of health care in Georgia.

Related Links

"Remembering H. Kenneth Walker, MD"  (Dept. of Med. 2/26/18)

Emory Medal Recipient H. Kenneth Walker (Video, 3/2/18)

"Emory Alumni Association announces 2018 Emory Medal recipients" (Press Release, 2/1/18)

"Emory Medicine Professor H. Kenneth Walker wins statewide lifetime achievement award" (Press Release, 11/16/16)

GHA 2016 Lifetime Heroic Achievement Winner H. Kenneth Walker (Video, 11/14/16)

"Transforming medicine in another Georgia" (Emory Medicine, Spring 2013)

JOSEPH S. KATICH 77MPH of Richmond, Texas, in Oct. 2017, at age 69. Survivors include his wife, Nancy A. Katich.

CATHERINE CHASE BORING 86MPH of Decatur, Georgia, on July 2, 2017, at age 67. She is survived by her husband, Dr. John Boring III, Rollins emeritus professor and chair of epidemiology, her three children, Michael, Sam, and Anne, and four brothers. After receiving a Master’s of Science in Ecology at the University of Georgia and working at Grady Hospital, Boring was inspired to study epidemiology at Rollins. She became director of surveillance statistics at the American Cancer Society.

LYLE WEBSTER McCORMICH 95MPH of Atlanta on Sept. 27, 2017, at age 69. He spent his career in Atlanta, working for the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Epidemiology and Prevention. He also worked for RTI International. Survivors include his daughter, Laura.

CULLEN “ASHLEY” McALLEN 97MPH of Vanderpool, Texas, on Aug. 19, 2017, on his ranch at age 56. He earned his MD at Vanderbilt and served as a doctor in various states. He used both degrees in humanitarian efforts in Mexico, Peru, India, Nepal, and Tibet. He served in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He married Zemfira Valerevna in 2001. Besides his wife, he is survived by two daughters, two sons, a sister, a brother, his parents, nieces, and nephews.

RITA V. DIAZ-KENNEY 00MPH of Tallahassee, Florida, on Oct. 13, 2017, at age 71. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a degree in nutrition. After coming to the U.S., she was a public health educator and worked at the Florida Department of Health and the CDC. She also helped migrant workers achieve citizenship and green card status and worked with the underprivileged. Survivors include her husband, Clifford Kenney, a son, daughter, granddaughter, three sisters, and nieces, nephews, and cousins.

ALANNA C. McKELVEY STONE 07MPH 11M died on July 11, 2017, after battling breast cancer and leukemia. She was 34. She grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2004. Stone came to Atlanta to study global health at Rollins. After gaining her MPH, she went on to medical school and graduated magna cum laude.

Stone completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and returned to Atlanta in 2015 to resume her clinical practice at Grady and become a junior faculty member in the department of internal medicine at Emory. She was a valued faculty member in the division of general medicine and geriatrics. At Grady, she was the associate medical director for resident education and scheduling in the Primary Care Center. She was also active in global health education for residents. Survivors include her husband, Luke, and son, Quinlan.