Longtime Hudson resident Dorothy Elizabeth "Libby" Walker (1918-2004) was best known for her work on behalf of female students while a dean at Case Western Reserve University for forty years.

Libby was born on January 25, 1918, to Lida M. Oviatt (1890-1960) and Vernon Walker (b.1884). She was a descendant of the Oviatt family, one of the original families to settle Hudson, Ohio.

The Oviatts were one of the original pioneer families of Hudson, Ohio. Benjamin Oviatt (1755-1854), along with David Hudson and four others, was one of the original business owners of the rights to the land designated Range 10, Town 4, what would become Hudson. Although Benjamin Oviatt never set foot in Hudson himself, many members of his family settled in Hudson and help develop the new town. This collection pertains to the Samuel Oviatt (1741-1818) branch of the Oviatt family. Samuel was Benjamin Oviatt's brother. The first member of the Samuel Oviatt branch that can be said to have actually lived in Hudson is Samuel's grandson John (1767-1827). The bulk of the papers in this collection pertain to Samuel's great grandson Homer Oviatt (1802-1882) and his descendants. Dorothy Elizabeth "Libby" Walker is Homer's great great granddaughter. Libby was born and lived in 33 Division Street in Hudson, a home that Libby's great-grandmother Charity Norton Oviatt purchased from the original builder in 1904. The home remained in the Oviatt family since that time and Libby herself owned the home until she passed away in 2004.

Libby excelled at academics, graduating first in her class at Hudson High School in 1935, and graduating magna cum laude from the Flora Stone Mather College, the former women's college of Case Western Reserve University. She went on to Radcliffe College, receiving her A.M. in Classics and remained in Massachusetts teaching Latin at Derby Academy in Hingham for three years. Due to a family illness, she returned to Hudson in 1943 and soon was offered a position as Director of Admissions at Western Reserve University, where she remained for 40 years.

She served in several positions at the University, including Director of Admission, Freshman Dean, Dean of Women, and Dean of Students. In each position, she worked tirelessly and passionately on behalf of her students, especially women. In 1968, she persuaded the administration to establish a contraceptive clinic on campus. As Dean of Women and Dean of Students, she was in charge of women's dormitories and helped plan some of the new buildings. During that time she also recognized the changing needs and social spheres of women and petitioned the administration to allow coed housing on campus, a position that was revolutionary (and controversial) at the time as only a few colleges in the country were allowing coed dormitories. Libby felt that students could be trusted and that such an arrangement would promote friendship between males and females. In 1968, due to Libby's efforts, Mather House became the first coed dormitory at Case. In a December 9, 1987, Hudson Hub-Times interview, Libby Walker stated "she was glad to have been a pioneer in co-ed housing on campuses."

After her retirement in 1983, Libby became an active member of the Hudson community. She served on the Architectural and Historical Board of Review and the Board of Hudson Heritage. She also continued her work on behalf of women as a member of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors and the Ohio Association of Women Deans and Counselors. She was on the Vestry of Christ Church Episcopal and also served as president of Episcopal Church Women. She also served on the board of St. John's Home in Painesville, a home for troubled girls. Libby's legacy will continue to live on at Case Western Reserve and in the town of Hudson. Friends and alumni established The Elizabeth Walker Scholarship upon her retirement, which awards a scholarship to a student with financial needs. She wanted to support needy students because she relied upon scholarships to attend Mather and Radcliffe. The personal papers of Elizabeth Walker and the Oviatt family are available at the Hudson Library & Historical Society.

Sources: "Elizabeth Walker, championed rights of women students while dean at Case" by Wally Guenther, Cleveland Plain Dealer; House Report: 33 Division Street, HLHS; Elizabeth Walker papers, HLHS; "'A sense of equilibrium'", Hudson Hub Times, December 9, 1987; "I remember Hudson," Hudson Life, Nov. 1, 1999; Case Western Reserve website

Abbreviated family tree: Samuel Oviatt, Jr. (1722-1804) -Benjamin Oviatt (1755-1832) -Samuel Oviatt (1741-1818) --John Oviatt (1767-1827) --Homer Oviatt (1802-1882) ----Miles Oviatt (1840-1903) m. Charity Norton (1835-1908) -----William H. Oviatt (1865-1947) m. Mary (May) Leach (1868-1926) ------Lida M. Oviatt (1890-1960) m. Vernon C. Walker (b. 1884) -------Dorothy Elizabeth Walker (1918-2004)