J. Michael Walker of Bloomington died Saturday, January 5, 2008, at his residence. He was 57 years old.

Born August 14, 1950, in Pelham, Georgia, he was the son of Edwin M. and Kathleen Donovan Walker.
Michael grew up in South Bend, Indiana, and received his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in Bloomington in 1974.

After completing his Ph.D. at the Ohio State University in 1979, he pursued post-doctoral studies at the Mental Health Research Institute in Ann Arbor, MI. In 1983, he joined the faculty in the Department of Psychology at Brown University, where he later became Department Chair. In 2004, he returned to Indiana University, where he served as the Linda and Jack Gill Chair of Neuroscience, Director of the Gill Center for Biomolecular Science, and Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.

He is survived by his parents; his wife, Barbara (Berger) Walker of Bloomington; three daughters, Elisa Walker of Madison, WI, Laura Walker of San Diego, CA, and Emily Walker of Baltimore, MD; six brothers and sisters, Edwin, Patrick, Reid, Francis, Mary and Beth; and 14 nieces and nephews.

Private family services are scheduled with Allen Funeral Home.

A memorial service will be held at a later date at Indiana University.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Kang Tsou Memorial Fund (a nonprofit foundation founded by Michael, dedicated to neuropharmacology and education), c/o Misty Theodore, Indiana University, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, 1101 E. 10th St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.