Mary Maier Walker ’76
Mary Maier Walker earned her master’s degree in educational psychology from the UWM School of Education in 1976. She has a bachelor’s degree from Smith College.
Impact
Mary created the Karl Maier Scholarship in honor and memory of her father, who sacrificed and saved to provide her with a liberal arts education at Smith College.
“I attended first grade at Milwaukee Downer Seminary in a building that is now part of the current UWM campus. During those early years, I learned the reading and analytical problem-solving skills that facilitated my acceptance at Smith College where I completed my undergraduate education. I was employed by First Wisconsin National Bank for two years before leaving to marry my husband, Willard, and move to Racine. There we raised four children, and when the youngest entered first grade, I was accepted into the Educational Psychology program at the UWM School of Education. I loved the diversity and vibrancy of an urban campus and the people I met from walks of life so different from my own. Later, I worked for Gateway Technical College for 22 years — first as a career counselor, then as manager of the advanced placement/experiential learning program. My time at UWM and Gateway made me aware of the difficulty and expense of obtaining an education, especially for non-traditional students. My profound belief in the value of my own education underlies my wish to make it a reality for as many others as possible.”