About the Author

There were four major events in the life of Jonathan Walker that harvested the foundation for him to be the first African American electrical engineer to publish an exhaustive list of patents granted to Granville Taylor Woods: (a) three years of high school electronics, (b) electronics training in the US Marine Corps, (c) an electrical engineering degree from Howard University, and (d) a license as a professional engineer (PE) after obtaining a master of science degree from Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Walker was raised in the housing projects of Ridley Circle in Newport News, Virginia, until sixth grade when his father, the late Earnest W. Walker Jr., and mother, Mary E. Walker, purchased a home in the suburban of Hampton, Virginia. Earnest worked at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company and Mary worked at Hampton General Hospital for several years.

The majority of achievements were accomplished because of a very supportive wife. Since 1987, Mr. Walker has been married to Easther M. Walker, and they have two adult children, Janáy and Jonathan Jr.