WS Chronicle

BUSTA’S PERSON OF THE WEEK

By Busta Brown

The Chronicle

I drove to the town of Lewisville to meet a super woman. I arrived at City Hall and pushed the intercom.

“May I help you?” a voice asked. I gave my name and then said who I was there to see. The voice on the intercom immediately got excited, not because of me, but the person I was there to see.

When I walked into the building, the young lady at the front desk had the biggest smile.  She was excited for me, because she knew I was about to meet one of the sweetest people in the world. She was still smiling as she gave me directions to the clerk’s office. I walked to the door and there she was, sweetness at first sight.

“Well, hello, Mr. Brown. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” said Joyce Walker, Lewisville Town Clerk.

She invited me into her office, saying, “Come on in.” She gave me a big hug, “I love giving hugs, it’s who I am. We need more love in this world, especially today,” she said.

I was there to interview her about receiving an award very few people in North Carolina have received: Clerk of the Year by the North Carolina Association of Municipal Clerks at their 2018 annual summer conference.

I told the 75-year-old Joyce M. Walker that she’s a super woman. “Oh my goodness,” the Lewisville Town Clerk responded.

Walker’s job as clerk requires focus, honesty, trust from the city government, and the willingness to take on such a challenging job. “I have legislative duties, one of which is to keep all the records of municipality. That’s the main and most important item,” she said. That’s a big deal. The municipality approves the Town of Lewsiville’s budget for the year, and there’s more. “I also keep records of any annexations that we have, keep a record of all the roads that are within the town, any bidding business of the Town Council and managers, we have to make sure notices are posted in the newspapers. There’s so much more, it’s hard to enumerate,” she said.

When I said to Mrs. Walker this is a big deal, she responded with a sweet smile and humble spirit: “It is.” This prestigious award is presented annually to the state’s outstanding clerk or deputy clerk. I mentioned to the super clerk that there are a lot of cities in our great state of North Carolina, and she politely replied, “Five hundred and forty to be exact,” and then she softly giggled.

Walker’s work history spans from nursing, teaching, and 28 years with Bell Atlantic in Washington, D.C. Before retiring, Bell Atlantic offered her an opportunity to work in Puerto Rico. She shares her adventure during my YouTube.com interview. Walker said that her previous work history well prepared her for the job as Lewisville town clerk, yet she was still surprised with the nomination as N.C. Clerk of the year.

“My mayor and mayor pro tem came to the ceremony. Mayor Mike Horn and Mayor Pro Tem Sandra Mock comes to everything that anyone on staff does, so I thought is was no big deal, I was being sworn in as District 9 director, so they were there to wish me luck, so it was a surprise to me. I was speechless and I’m never speechless,” Walker said.

“What I love most about my job is making sure things work out well for our citizens. When you work in this type of job, you have to be able to get your point over to people, you have to love people, and I tell people when you come to visit me, you get a hug.”

You must go to The Chronicle’s YouTube.com channel at Winstonsalen Chronicle to hear what happened. It’s a heartwarming story. She’s married to Clint Walker, and recently celebrated their 55th anniversary in the backyard of their home with family and friends. In the interview you’ll see her husband, Clint, and four generations of Walkers. Also you’ll find out which U.S. president and boxing superstar she met as a child and all of the interesting hobbies she does after work and more.

Joyce M. Walker is truly a Super Woman.