Champaign Unit #4 Schools, Elementary Teacher, Cooperating Teacher
with U of I, Retired.
If I have made contributions in life, I must give thanks to my
parents, Ishmael and Elizabeth McKinley Varnado. At age two, I
moved from rural Pike County, Mississippi to Urbana, IL with my
parents and my brother, William. My parents had a mission for
a better life, both educationally and economically.
I am the widow of Frederic Logan Walden, a 23-year veteran of
the United States Air Force, who served as Council Member for
the Third Ward and Mayor pro tem, City of Urbana. He became Director
of Purchasing at Carle Foundation Hospital upon his retirement
from the Air Force. We have two sons: Frederic Earle Walden, an
honor student with a Bachelor's degree from the U of I in Clinical
Psychology and Leslie Logan Walden who received his degree in
Government from the University of Wisconsin and is currently working
in San Diego, CA at the Office of the Public Defender. There are
three grandchildren, Frederic Blake Walden, Maya Nicole Walden
and Travis Logan Walden.
I am a product of the Urbana schools and received a Bachelor's,
Master's, and Advanced Degree from the University of Illinois.
It was my good fortune to have received my student teacher training
under the skillful guidance of Mae Hawkins, first African-American
teacher-principal at Lawhead School, Champaign. She was a person
of courage, compassion and commitment - a catalyst for all young
people who knew her. My concern and devotion to my students were
total. They were encouraged to challenge the sometimes unfair
conditions of life and to press forward toward the goals that
could be theirs.
I was the co-founder of Operation Excellence at Salem Baptist
Church. We are grateful to the Champaign Unit 4 schools for supplying
over one thousand books and workbooks to advance our programs.
I am a charter member of Epsilon Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha
Kappa Alpha Sorority. Most recently, I have become active in the
African-American Genealogical Society and the Champaign County
African American History Committee of the Early American Museum.
Mary Frances Varnado Walden
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denotes original charter members of the Champaign County Section
of the National Council of Negro Women.