Laser Scientist and professor Hildreth (Hal) Walker, Jr., has passed away peacefully in Cape Town, South Africa with his wife, STEM Pioneer Dr. Bettye Walker, by his side. He was 91 years old.
Walker was the first person to successfully fire the KORAD-1500 Ruby Laser to the moon in 1969 during the Apollo 11 Moon Landing when American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first humans ever to land on the moon. This significant achievement, now known as the Lunar Ranging Experiment (LURE), was the only interactive planetary experiment for the first Moon Landing.
It is also one of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Milestones #198. These milestones celebrate significant accomplishments in electrical engineering and reflect Walker’s importance to the field.
This historic experiment was replicated in 1994 in an interactive exhibit located in the Hands-on Science section of Science in American Life at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Mr. Walker himself was honored in the exhibit’s permanent section, “The New Moon.”
Walker was board chairman and co-founder with his wife of the African American Male Achievers Network, Inc. (A – MAN), a nonprofit corporation. A – MAN is dedicated to the nurturing of young African Americans and other minority students with particular emphasis in science and mathematics. Hal was a cum laude graduate of Pacific Christian College with a B.S. degree in Business Technology Management.
The Walkers established the A-MAN, Inc., in South Africa at the invitation of President Nelson Mandela and implemented science and technology programs in township schools across the country. On February 27, 2019, South Africa welcomed the opening of the first chapter of the National Space Society on the continent – the Cape Town Space Society, which was founded by the Walkers.
Prof. Hal and Dr. Bettye Walker are 30-years Rotarians with membership in the Downtown Los Angeles Rotary Club. They developed partnerships with Rotary Clubs in Cape Town and Pretoria, as well as coordinated the establishment of more than a dozen state-of-the-art Computer Literacy Labs in schools throughout South Africa.
Also, the couple assisted in raising $325,000 as a Rotary Fundraising Partner for the Blouberg Rotary Club in Cape Town, South Africa. The funds provided a Bronchoscope Machine for the Tygerberg Children’s Hospital, which makes surgery less invasive.
Walker was a lifetime member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Los Angeles Alumni Chapter; Founding Polemarch Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Cape Town – Western Cape Alumni Chapter, Cape Town South Africa; past board chairman, Walk to Emmaus Los Angeles Community; member of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Boule; and president of the Delta Xi Chapter of the National Space Society of South Africa.
Hal was honored in October 2020 by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as ‘Veteran of the Day’ and featured in the Veteran’s Administration Newsletter Blog for his exemplary service in the United States Navy, Africa, and the International Use of Energy in Cape Town.
Both Hal and Bettye Walker were honored with the Humanitarian Award and Trophy, received from the Caucus of Producers, Writers & Directors, and the 2020 Unsung Heroes Award by California State Senator Holly J. Mitchell.
Walker is survived by his wife, Bettye; children, Alliso, and Raymond, grandchildren, Raishauna, Justin, Kara, Lance, Nile, Mecca, and Asia; and 17 great grandchildren.
