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BIOGRAPHY:  Sandra Leah Walker

Sandra Leah Walker was born in Buffalo, New York on July 17, 1944. She is the oldest child of the late Samuel S. Walker, Sr. and Georgie Stokes Walker, both originally of Calhoun Falls, SC. Her brother, Samuel resides in California and her younger sister by almost 17 years, Sonia Lynn, resides with her in Buffalo.

She and her siblings are proud to be the third generation of five living generations. Her grandmother, Lucille Lee Stokes is 97 and was also born in Calhoun Falls, SC. She is the mother of Leah Andria Johnson (David) Behrens and Thomas William (Tiffany) Johnson Jr. and has been blessed with three grandsons, David Paul Behrens III, age 3, Gabriel Thomas Behrens, age 1, and Christian Thomas Johnson, age 1.

Sandra was graduated from P.S. #17 and Lafayette High School. She completed Buffalo State College in a three year accelerated program in Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish in the Elementary School. After briefly being employed at the New York State Employment Service, she began a career with the Buffalo Public Schools in April 1966. In 1973 she was selected by the school system and the University at Buffalo to participate in a program to train teachers to become School Counselors. She received a Masters of Education in 1974. She retired as a School Counselor at McKinley High School in June 2000.

Sandra is a 50-year member of the Lutheran Church of Our Savior. She taught Sunday School, the Adult Bible Class, and was the Administrator of the RagTime Vacation Bible School; sang in the Junior Choir, Senior Choir, and Voices of God Choir; was the Council Secretary and is Parliamentarian for the Church Council. In 1987 she was the third woman elected to the Board of Deacons and in October 2000 she became the first woman elected as Chair of the Board of Deacons.

In October 1963, Sandra became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and is the immediate past president of Xi Epsilon Omega Chapter located in Amherst, New York. She is on the Board of Directors of LADD (Lutheran Association for the Developmentally Disabled) and is a member of the Task Force for Mission Development for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in the city of Buffalo. She is a member of the NAACP and Urban League and has voted in every election since age 18.

Sandra, the National Foote Family Reunion Treasurer, and her sister, Sonia, the National Foote Family Reunion President renewed their interest in genealogy after attending a reunion in 1986. They are researching both Walkers and Footes. The Walker line stems from their father. The Foote line stems from their maternal great-grandmother, Leah Foote Lee who was married to David Lee, the parents of their grandmother, Lucille Lee Stokes.

While, we may never know our home tribe from Africa, we hope to leave future generations with knowledge, information, and pride in who they are.