When the Class of 1969 entered as new ca­dets, most of us were anxious about the fu­ture. We were boys masquerading as men. But one of us already was a man. At 21 years of age and 6 feet 6 inches in height, James Edward Walkenbach, possessed the ma­turity and bearing to which the rest of us aspired. Over the next four years, Walk proved to be the leader we all expected him to be, rising to the rank of company com­mander while demonstrating the toughness required to overcome injury and disap­pointment.

James E. Walkenbach was born on Feb 10, 1944, the son of Dr. Joseph W. Walkenbach, a St. Louis chiropractor, and Bernice Walkenbach. A life-long St. Louis Cardinals fan, Jim was a star pitcher on the St. Mary’s High School baseball team, played basketball, and excelled as a stu­dent, being selected for the National Honor Society and Student Council. After two and a half years at St. Louis University and a stint in the Air Force, Walk became one of the oldest and tallest members of the Class of 1969.

As a cadet, Jim demonstrated his ath­letic prowess as a member of the plebe base­ball team, but a serious knee injury ended his baseball career. Walk had three major knee surgeries as a cadet, and it became a common sight in North Area to see a 6 feet, 6 inch tall cadet hobbling around on crutches. Academics proved unchallenging, so Walk regularly tutored company mates struggling with math and engineer­ing. Throughout his years at the academy, Walk maintained his standing as one of our class leaders, participating in a number of extracurricular activities. Hence, it was no surprise to his classmates when Walk was selected as commander of Company C-4 during first detail of our First Class year. Cadet parades in the fall of 1968 were dis­tinguished by the booming, baritone voice of the tallest company commander in the Corps, leading one of the last companies in the line of march.

Jim had hoped to re-enter the Air Force upon graduation, but his unserviceable knees denied him that opportunity. Instead, he proudly accepted a commission in the Medical Service Corps. Then, only weeks prior to graduation, Walk was devastated by the death of his fiance. With the help of friends, he endured this loss and graduated on Jun 4, 1969. As sometimes happens in life, a dark moment was followed by a burst of sunshine. On graduation leave, Jim met Cindy Baird, whom he married on May 17, 1970.

After marrying Cindy, Walk entered the Medical College of Virginia and earned a master of science in biophysics. Following a six-week vacation in Europe, the Walkenbachs were assigned to Edgewood Arsenal, where their first son, Brian, was born in 1974. Shortly after Brian’s birth, Walk suffered a heart attack that forced his medical retirement from the Army. Once again, Walk moved forward: this time fol­lowing in his father’s footsteps by entering Logan College of Chiropractic. In 1976, Jim and Cindy’s second son, Bill, was born while Jim was a student at Logan.

Walk graduated as a Doctor of Chiropractic in 1978 and established a private practice in St. Louis, where he practiced chiropractic medicine in the af­ternoons and evenings while teaching at Logan College in the mornings. During his chiropractic training, Walk had developed a keen interest in nutrition and wellness. As a practitioner, he expanded upon this inter­est by conducting numerous seminars and workshops around the country. In 1981, the Walkenbachs relocated to Claremont, CA, where their third son, Chris, was born in 1982.

Walk spent many years coaching and mentoring his sons in their youth sports programs throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and he was a constant, boisterous supporter at all of their events. He was an avid golfer and dedicated years to teaching his sons the game. They spent many enjoyable days to­gether on the golf course as father and sons and grew closer through their love of the game. As his son Bill has shared, Walk was the consummate teacher to his sons — about life, athletics and everything in between.

In 2001, Walk published the culmina­tion of his work in the areas of nutrition and wellness, a book entitled An Owner’s Guide To The Human Body. One of the reviewers, Dr. Clark Benjamin Zimmerman, stated: “Dr. Walkenbach’s down-to-earth presen­tation is sure to enable those who want to make the right choices for better health to do so." Another reviewer added: “His expla­nation of the body’s systems is unique and immensely informative, making this book a must read for anyone interested in the pursuit of health and wellness." Tragically, while Jim was working on his book, his son Brian died from the ravages of diabetes. Jim dedicated the book to Brian’s memory.

On May 28, 2005, Walk suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 61. At his funeral, Walk was eulogized by his long-time friend John Rountree, who reported that the church was filled with mourners who had been helped by “Dr. Jim." In his book, Jim Walkenbach wrote “everything about life is a choice." In his life, Walk experienced crippling knee surgeries, the death of loved ones, and a heart attack that forced him out of the Army. Each time, he made the courageous choice to soldier on and offer to the world the best that he had to give from his many talents. As West Pointers, we are trained to value the ethic of service to oth­ers. Throughout his life, Jim Walkenbach was true to that ethic, and he inspired his sons to pursue occupations involving ser­vice to others.

Well done, Walk. Rest in peace.

—-Jim Russell & Bill Walkenbach