The Walker Award is presented for the exceptional contributions of students who enhance the reputation of the University through their extracurricular activities. Walker was president of the University from 1956 to 1970.

Born in Korea and blind, Battles was adopted by a State College couple and has been active working with the disabled and on other service issues at the University Park campus, in various urban areas and in other countries. He will graduate in May with one master’s and two bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics, plus a minor in French.

He is credited with modifying and simplifying teaching techniques and technology for the blind at Penn State, and for bolstering the awareness of disabled students’ needs and abilities.

Battles will attend Oxford University in England as a Rhodes Scholar for further graduate studies. His other travels have already taken him to Seattle and Philadelphia as a Do-It Intern working with disabled inner city children; to Costa Rica on other disability-related efforts; and to the Ukraine to teach English as a second language.

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Contact: Gary W. Cramer at (814) 865-7517 or gwc104@psu.edu