Robert and May Walton Memorial Scholarship Endowment

Initially established in 1992 in memory of Robert "Bob" and May Walton, parents of retired Mission College math instructor Ian Walton. In 2017, it was converted to an endowment scholarship.

Math instructor Ian Walton grew up in Dumfries, Scotland, in a family of teachers. He spent four years at University of St. Andrews and received a B.S. in Pure Mathematics. While there, he continued his parents' interest in outdoor activities participating in a university mountaineering expedition to South Greenland in 1971 and serving as president of the St. Andrews University Mountaineering Club.

In 1973, Ian came to the University of California, Santa Cruz as a Fulbright Scholar, and received his Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1977. Having greatly enjoyed his experiences as a teaching assistant and as a residential preceptor, he joined the faculty of the fledgling Mission College in Fall 1978 with colleagues Tim Jackins, Teri Chang, and Candy Rose. He was part of the founding group who moved from the temporary Monroe Street facility to the new college site in 1979.

Bob and May Walton were both teachers in Scotland - May an elementary school teacher and Bob the department head of mathematics at Dumfries Academy. While wishing that Ian had returned to work in Scotland, they made many visits to Santa Cruz and to Mission College and realized that Mission College was a wonderful, inspiring, collaborative teaching environment and they fully supported Ian's career choice. They got to know many of the Mission College staff and faculty over the years and looked forward to their visits to the college. In retirement, they increased their walking and travel activities to regularly include the European Alps and the California Sierra.

May and Bob passed away in 1991 and 1992, respectively, and this scholarship was established in remembrance of their appreciation of Mission College and its students.

Ian continued to work at Mission College for 33 years until his retirement in 2011. Along the way, he was math department and division chair and academic senate president for five years as well as serving in various roles for the faculty union ACE. His favorite course to teach was always Math G - math for liberal arts students where he remembers many inspiring student midterm and final projects.

In 1997, Ian served on the Educational Policies Committee of the statewide Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC). This began twelve years of work with ASCCC culminating in two years as president from 2005 to 2007 during which time associate graduation competencies in mathematics and English were revised, and the system Basic Skills Initiative was established.

After retirement in 2011, Ian maintained his educational/political contacts with a variety of math basic skills projects and currently serves as a Commissioner for the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), which accredits two-year public and private colleges in California, Hawaii, and the Pacific.

May and Bob never knew about Ian's ASCCC and ACCJC activities but would have loved them as an expression of commitment beyond teaching, to the wider goals of education. They would have appreciated the support from Mission College that made their son's dedicated participation possible.