The Walker Foundation Announces New Board Trustees

SPARTANBURG, SC – The Walker Foundation, supporting the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind and students across the state through its outreach programs, has recently elected six new members to the organization’s Board of Trustees.

The new trustees, business and community leaders, serving The Walker Foundation Board are:
W.D. Bain, Jr. of Spartanburg retired as vice president and general manager for the Chemical Division of McKesson Corporation. Prior to that, he was president of Moreland Chemical Company in Spartanburg. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and Washington and Lee University School of Law. For many years, he served on the boards for Spartanburg County School District 7, which he chaired for nine years, and for Converse College.

Donald L. Finkell of Spartanburg is chief executive officer of Anderson Hardwood Floors in Clinton. He is incoming chairman of the National Wood Flooring Association and chairman of NWFA’s Legislative Relations and Green Initiatives committees. He holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Tennessee and an architectural license with previous work as a staff architect for the Tennessee Valley Authority.

William A. Fort of Spartanburg serves on the Board of Directors of the Music Foundation of Spartanburg and the Converse Heights Neighborhood Association. He is a graduate of Sewanee: The University of the South and Cumberland School of Law at Samford University.

Suzanne M. Shealy of Columbia owns Suzy Shealy Fine Art. She has been recognized for her Iraq Series, a collection of prints that benefit charities ministering to families and honor the memory of her son, Army Sergeant A. Joseph Derrick, who lost his life serving his country in Baghdad, Iraq. She is vice president of Trenholm Artists Guild and serves on the Board of Directors for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Columbia.

Russell R. Weber of Spartanburg is president of Integral Solutions Corp., a subsidiary of J M Smith Corporation. He serves on the Board of Directors and Economics Futures Group for the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce and on the boards of The Arts Partnership, Upstate Alliance, and Weed and Seed program.

Judy T. Wilson of Spartanburg is an avid community volunteer and a leader in many organizations.
The new trustees join active board members: Russell R. Raines, chairman; Phyllis B. DeLapp, vice chairman; John F. Dunbar, Jr., D.M.D., secretary; J. Scott Keim, treasurer; Valerie M. Barnet; Paul Boggs; W. Scott Brawley; Mellnee G. Buchheit; Robert A. Dobson III; Alan L. Harkey; Robert G. Mahon, Jr., M.D.; Norman F. Pulliam; and Carol E. Scott.

The Walker Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) public, non-profit foundation, licensed by the S.C. Department of Public Charities. Through the generosity of its contributors, the foundation aids and strengthens the work of SCSDB across the state by providing grants, referral information, public awareness programs and direct assistance.

SCSDB serves individuals who are deaf, blind or sensory multidisabled through its main campus in Spartanburg, public school districts, early intervention programs in the homes of infants and toddlers, and five regional outreach centers. SCSDB is accredited by the State Department of Education, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf. The SC Department of Education has named SCSDB a Palmetto Gold School for its academic accomplishments and a Red Carpet School for its outstanding customer service. The school’s web site address is www.scsdb.org and its toll-free telephone number is 1-888-447-2732.