Gale Richard Walker was born in Stockport, Ohio, in 1948. He graduated from Belpre High School in 1967; received his B.A. at Marietta College in 1972; M.A. at Purdue University in 1974; and Ph.D. at Purdue University in 1976. He was an assistant professor of sociology at Muhlenberg College, in Allentown, PA, 1976-78, and served as chairman of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Blackburn College, Carlinville, IL, 1978-83; senior policy analyst, Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety, Springfield, IL, 1984-1989; and science assessment consultant and school improvement consultant, Illinois State Board of Education, Springfield, IL, 1989-2007. Walker's various history-related publications cited below began as a simple curiosity - a question. If finding no answer in libraries or elsewhere, he conducted his own research, whether in laboratories or libraries, seeking to discover, document, and share his findings, discoveries, and conclusions with others.