Marion was the eighth and youngest President of AIS, 1956 -1959, and the first from the western U.S. He became a member of AIS, along with his wife Dorothy in 1938, making them the oldest members with continuous membership, along with Minnie Colquitt, for a period of 64 years. To list his many contributions to the society over his lifetime would take a book. Briefly, you could say he was an Irisarian, a Plantsman, an Orchardist, a Politician, a Conservationist, an Environmentalist, a Rancher, a Public Servant, a Hybridizer, a Church Layman and a Musician. A more extensive article about Marion R. Walker may be found in AIS Bulletin #329; April 2003:109-111.