Boston Scenes

On the day after his State of the State address last month, Gov. Deval Patrick (center) visited the Social Justice Academy at the Hyde Park Education Complex as part of the annual Boston Public Schools Martin Luther King Jr. Speaker Series. Patrick spoke with students who were about to depart for Washington, D.C., to attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Patrick is one of a select few African American newsmakers chosen to be profiled in the new HBO film “The Black List: Volume 2,” premiering later this month. For more, turn to pg. 15. (Photo courtesy of Boston Public Schools)

Brent L. Henry, vice president and general counsel of Partners HealthCare System (left), and Charles J. Ogletree Jr., executive director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School, shake hands at the 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day luncheon hosted by Partners, held Jan. 28. (Don West photo, www.donwestfoto.com)

Local youth between the ages of 6 and 12 who participated in the after-school program at the Hawthorne Youth and Community Center and artists of all ages who participated in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day community workshop all helped to create more than 60 prayer flags that stretch between two trees on Fulda Street in Roxbury. The creators of the flags say that they  express optimism for the administration of President Barack Obama and best wishes for his family. (Photo courtesy of the Hawthorne Youth and Community Center)

Citizens Bank and NECN recently named Youth Enrichment Services (YES) this quarter’s “Champion in Action” award winner in the category of youth programming. YES is a nonprofit organization that offers activities to help children and teens learn to respect themselves, others and the environment. (From left): State Rep. Byron Rushing; Citizens Bank Massachusetts President Robert E. Smyth; YES Board Chair Peter Haffenreffer; YES Executive Director Bryan Van Dorpe, NECN President and General Manager Charles J. Kravetz. (Photo courtesy of Citizens Bank)

Roxbury Community College (RCC) Women’s Basketball player Willeen Capehart was named the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Player of the Week on Jan. 21. On Jan. 13, she scored 15 points in an 89-54 victory over Springfield Tech Community College. (Photo courtesy of RCC)

State Rep. Gloria L. Fox (left), Dr. James Mandell, CEO of Children’s Hospital Boston (center), and state Rep. Marie St. Fleur attended the Children’s Hospital Boston legislative breakfast at the Massachusetts State House on Feb. 3, 2009. The event showcased the current nature of pediatric care, research and training. (Ethan Bickford photo)

Kofi Dennis from the world-famous Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts in Virginia (right) recently spent a week as an “artist in residence” teaching children from Action for Boston Community Development Head Start at Roxbury Street how to learn and grow through drama, music and movement. The Wolf Trap Foundation is one of the nation’s premier arts and education centers. (Randy Goodman photo)

Dr. Vincent Smith (right) shows how he cares for premature babies to John D. O’Bryant High School student Eloho Akpovi during the 14th Annual Job Shadow Day at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). Akpovi is one of the 27 students from O’Bryant and New Mission High School who participated on the program on Jan. 30, pairing with staff members to shadow them for the day in jobs such as nursing, surgery and radiology. (Photo courtesy of BIDMC)

Karen Walker of Boston died on Feb. 2, 2009. She was 50.
She was born in Boston on Feb. 26, 1958, to Julius and Jessie Lorena Hodges. Raised in Roxbury, Karen excelled at Buckingham Brown & Nichols School in Cambridge, and later graduated from Tufts University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and public health administration. In 1991, she earned a master’s degree in education from Harvard University.
After a brief stint at Bain Capital, she pursued a career in hotel management at the Meridien Hotel, becoming the only woman or person of color in management during her two years there. Karen then moved into college administration at Harvard, where she held several roles during an 18-year tenure.
She later formed the fundraising firm Walker Solutions in 2002, and in 2005 became Roxbury Community College’s executive director of development. She worked to reposition RCC with major donors and individuals, even as her health deteriorated.
She leaves behind her husband, Ronald L. Walker II; her daughters, Rachel Iman Walker and Olivia Eaton Walker; her brother, Stephen Hodges; and a host of other relatives and friends.
(Photo courtesy of Davis Funeral Home)