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Barbara Walker retires after 23 years in Corrections Department |
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Thursday, 28 June 2007 |
By STEVE BLAKE
Express Staff Writer
At a gathering of state's attorneys, public defenders, court representatives, and probation officers Wednesday night at the EastSide, several people expressed the same sentiment about Barbara Walker: "You always know where you stand with her."
Some said they had disagreed with her on some things. But they also said they respect her.
Walker, who lives in Ferdinand, will retire Friday as a probation officer with the state Department of Corrections after 23 years. The people with whom she worked threw her a party at the East Side Restaurant Wednesday.
Carl Davis, the superintendent for the Department of Probation and Parole in Orleans County for the past two years, said Walker brought common sense to the job.
Roger Brown, the former casework supervisor in St. Johnsbury, was the man who hired her. He said she was always cheerful.
"We had a lot of fun," he said. "She's a great lady. What you see is what you get."
Former probation officer Mark Shelton explained that Walker appears "strong and ornery," but, "the love comes through."
"The people who came into her office respected her," Shelton continued. "They knew she would shoot straight."
Public Defender Chip Troiano agreed.
"Sometimes she was the only advocate these people had," he said.
Howard Walker, her husband of 42 years, had nothing but compliments.
"I can't think of another soul I'd rather go through life with," he said. "She upholds her standards. It's a pleasure being her husband."
Walker herself didn't have much to say, but she described the job of a probation officer as stressful. But she told the crowd that her time in the job with the people she worked with made special memories.
Brown, her first boss, told her to look forward to retirement.
"Every night is Friday. Every day is Saturday. And there's never a Monday." |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 29 June 2007 )
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