Preserve name honors Irene Walker

#Middlebury #MLT

Irene Walker, a major benefactor to the Middlebury Land Trust, is shown in this undated photo shared by The New School. She is being recognized October 13 with the dedication of The Irene Walker Preserve. (From the collection “The Irene Walker interior design papers,” The New School Archives and Special Collection, The New School, New York, NY)

By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY

Irene Mabel Walker was an impressive woman, a really talented entrepreneur who was very generous in her final bequests. Middlebury is fortunate that she chose to live here in her later years, and two of her bequests were to the Middlebury Land Trust (MLT) and the Middlebury Public Library. The MLT bequest almost doubled its endowment at the time.

Her generosity to the land trust will be recognized Wednesday, October 13, at 10:30 a.m., with the dedication of a beautiful 25.4 acre preserve in her name. The Irene Walker Preserve encompasses the woods along Middlebury, Chase and Tucker Hill Roads in Middlebury and includes a section of Goat Brook and an interesting rocky knoll. Find location details in the next to the last paragraph.

Walker was born in Detroit, Michigan, January 7, 1919. She graduated in 1951 with high honors, first in her class, from the Parsons School of Design in New York City (now part of The New School). She was recruited directly to the prestigious McMillen design firm in NYC, and was a senior decorator there for 14 years. Her work was included in the book “The Finest Rooms by America’s Great Decorators,” as well as in the New York Times magazine.

In 1966 she started her own decorating firm, Irene Walker Inc. Many well-known personalities were among her clients, including Jeanne Murray Vanderbilt. The tag line for her firm was “Joie de Vivre,” which seems to reflect both her attitude in decorating and her time spent studying design in Europe, including in Paris.

Walker’s later life in Connecticut included Heritage Village in Southbury, where she continued her work, and then Washington Depot, where she lived adjacent to conserved open space (possibly where she got the inspiration to make her large bequest to the MLT). She spent her last years in Steeplechase in Middlebury.

Her former neighbor there, Joan Maloney, recalled Walker as a tall, elegant and well-spoken woman who would stop to admire her gardens. She also recalled Walker’s fondness for fireplaces as she had a second one built in her house and later left a bequest to the Middlebury Public Library to create the reading room with a fireplace that is there now: the Irene Walker Reading Room. Walker died October 24, 2002.

Archivists found a page from her design firm with comments by Walker that seem to capture some of her grace and attitudes. She posited that “marvelous items of utility or function do not have to look dull.” She emphasized the importance of choice and quality, and asserted that “Serious contemporary interiors and stogy [sic] traditional backgrounds need a touch of lighthearted charm … and freedom … AND, the refreshing rooms of today that ‘sing’ with color require happier accoutrements. All-in-all, I have tried to put a little joy into this area of living.” Her bequests to the Middlebury Land Trust and the library certainly bring joy into our lives, whether we are quietly reading or enjoying open spaces.

The dedication ceremony will take place at the entrance to the trail into the preserve, at the small parking area where Chase Road joins Middlebury Road (parcel #58 at www.middleburylandtrust.org). The event will include a brief history of her life, and her memorial plaque will be unveiled. Following that, all are invited to join a short hike on the trail into the preserve where Walker’s remains will be spread with the assistance of the Rev. Katrina Manzi of the Middlebury Congregational Church.

You can contact this writer at jswspotlight@gmail.com and visit the Middlebury Land Trust on Facebook or the website at middleburylandtrust.org. Happy hiking!.