Jim Walker was born and raised in West Texas, Lamesa, and Pecos. Except for a two year job transfer and three years in the Air Force, Jim has lived in Texas all his life. He has always been interested in the history and culture of Texas, especially the Texas Revolution. He spent ten years in Dallas and Conroe as an independent iceman, delivering ice to grocery stores and around the lake.
He was living in Dallas in 1963 when John Kennedy was assassinated, standing only one and a half blocks from the spot where Kennedy was shot. His eleven pictures of the parade, Kennedy, and several of the sites after the shooting have been donated to the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealy Plaza in Dallas, where two of them are currently displayed. His picture of the Texas Theater is for sale in the museum gift shop, being the only photograph in the collection ever offered for sale. In 1981, Jim went to work for Gulf States Utilities (now Entergy) and stayed twenty one years until his retirement in 2002.
Retirement gave Jim the opportunity to visit every major battle site in the Texas Revolution and meet some very interesting authors and historians. His predominate interest is Goliad and the Goliad Massacre, considering this area of Texas History as the best kept secret in the Texas Revolution. At Goliad, three hundred and forty two Texans died in a revenge killing under the orders of the dictator Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna that became part of the battle cry shouted by Texians at San Jacinto: Remember Goliad! Remember the Alamo! Jim has given presentations to seventh graders and civic groups on the Goliad Massacre.
Every year in March, the Presidio La Bahia puts on a reenactment of that historic event where Jim has assisted since 2002. He is currently on the Advisory board at the presidio to help redesign and upgrade the museum. Jim has also been involved with the Crighton Theatre in Conroe as a member of the Crighton Players for over thirty years. He has participated in about 80 plays both onstage and off, directing since 1991. Jim is a past member of the Conroe Commission on Arts and Culture.
