Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies.....Walker, Charles F. 1890 - 
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Ila Wakley iwakley@msn.com October 25, 2009, 6:20 pm

Source: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. III, Published 1928, Pages 122-123
Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company

     The Northwestern School of Commerce, under the guiding hand of its 
president, Charles F. Walker, has become one of Portland's distinctive 
institutions and enjoys a wide reputation for the thorough preparation which 
it gives its students, many of whom have attained more than ordinary success 
in the business world. Mr. Walker was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1890, and is 
a son of J. W. and Eliza (Hunter) Walker, the former now living in London, 
Ontario, while the latter is deceased.

     Mr. Walker attended the public schools of his home town, and then entered 
Elliott College, at Toronto, from which he was graduated in 1910. Crossing the 
border into the United States, he engaged in teaching, becoming principal of 
the high school at Howe, Indiana, after which he located in Fort Wayne, where 
he acquired an interest in the International College, a business school, with 
which he was identified for ten years, serving as advertising manager, as 
secretary of the school and in promotion work, also doing considerable 
teaching. In 1920 he sold his interest in the school, as well as his home in 
Fort Wayne, and, with his wife and daughter, started westward by automobile, 
with the idea of leisurely looking over the country for a favorable location. 
He arrived in Portland in 1921 and was so favorably impressed with the city 
and conditions here that he decided to cast in his lot with this community. In 
looking over the field he found the Links Business College, at Tenth and 
Morrison streets, a small school, with thirty-eight students, and on December 
1, 1921, he bought and took possession of this school, the name of which he 
changed to that which it now bears, — the Northwestern School of Commerce.  He 
remained in the old location about two years, when, the increase in the number 
of students necessitating larger quarters, he leased and moved into the 
present location, the entire second floor of the Western building, at the 
corner of Salmon and Broadway streets, where he now has ten thousand square 
feet of floor space. The rooms were arranged to meet the special requirements 
of the school, and here three hundred students are now enrolled. The school is 
ideally located, in the very heart of the business district, and within a 
short distance of practically all of the public buildings, the Young Men's 
Christian Association and Young Women's Christian Association buildings being 
but one block away. Mr. Walker limits the number of students to approximately 
three hundred, as he is striving primarily for the best results and realizes 
that the student can receive better individual attention than if there were a 
large student body. Ten instructors are employed and the following courses are 
maintained: Complete general business course, bookkeeping-business course, 
machine bookkeeping, business administration or higher accounting, civil 
service, teacher training, secretarial-business, college graduate secretarial, 
stenographic, stenotypy, stenographic-comptometer, comptometer-calculator, 
dictaphone, and salesmanship. A night school, two evenings a week, is also 
maintained, in which the same courses of study are taught. The enrollment of 
the Northwestern School of Commerce includes a large percentage of teachers 
and college students and attracts a type of student which, according to those 
competent to judge, is much superior to the type ordinarily found in business 
schools. Mr. Walker has exercised special care in the selection of his 
instructors, whom he has chosen, not only for their education, knowledge and 
experience, but also for their personality, character and understanding of 
human nature, and this has been one of the strong, underlying secrets of his 
success in maintaining the efficiency of the school.

     In 1910 Mr. Walker was united in marriage to Miss Blanche Greenfield, who 
also is a native of Ontario, Canada, and is a daughter of George and Eva 
(Shaw) Greenfield, both of whom are deceased. They are the parents of a 
daughter, Alene, who is now fourteen years of age. Mrs. Walker is associated 
with her husband in the school work, looking after the welfare of the girl 
students and rendering valuable assistance in other directors. While residing 
in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Mr. Walker served as president of a National Business 
Teachers' Association, as vice president of the National Shorthand Teachers' 
Association, as president of the Advertising Club and as a Header in church 
work. Since coming to Portland he has become a member of the Chamber of 
Commerce. He belongs to the Kiwanis Club, of which he served four years as a 
director, one year as vice president and one year as president, and is this 
year lieutenant-governor of this district. He is also a member of the 
Advertising Club, the City Club and the Alderwood Country Club. Fraternally he 
is a Mason, belonging to the blue lodge, chapter and council; the Woodmen of 
the World; the Amaranth, of which he is a past royal patron, and the Order of 
the Eastern Star, of which he is a past worthy patron, Mrs. Walker also 
belonging to the last-named order. Mr. Walker is an able writer and a fluent 
public speaker, and his address "The Ideal Personality," which grew out of his 
personal classroom work, has been given before more than three hundred 
audiences. A man of strong individuality, forceful style and pleasing address, 
he makes a favorable impression on all who come in contact with him, and 
commands the unqualified respect and confidence of his fellowmen.

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