WALKER, Elizabeth W., 88, local historian, popular reporter and author, completed the final chapter of this life Friday, July 30, 2010, and has begun a new chapter in the kingdom of heaven. Elizabeth was born May 9, 1922, in Alva, Fla., a small community on the Caloosahatchee River north of Fort Meyers. The daughter of Joshua and Etoile Williams, she was the seventh of eight children. In her early years she was painfully shy and self-conscious, but she became determined to overcome her social awkwardness. The opportunity would come decades later after marrying Litton M. "Scotty" Walker and moving to Sebring in the late forties, when Elizabeth' s employer offered to pay for anyone wanting to take a Dale Carnegie Course. From that simple beginning came 50 years of public speaking and public service. Determined to help others overcome similar fears, Elizabeth joined a local public speaking club, Toastmasters International. As a part of that group, she organized clubs in prisons, high schools, businesses and communities throughout Central Florida, led 4-H and Girl Scout groups in speaking projects, and developed special programs for fifth graders so they might never have to experience her childhood fears. She coached teens in speaking and parliamentary procedure and judged countless contests throughout the county. Her encouragement inspired many children and adults to become lawyers, educators, clergy and public servants. Along the way she earned the highest distinction available, the Distinguished Toastmaster Award, one of only 1,100 in the world at the time. After retiring from Consolidated Tomoka Land Co. as an accountant, Elizabeth put her platform skills to work as a Tupperware salesperson, quickly rising to the level of manager. She also became a lecturer for Weight Watchers. During this same period, she parlayed her modest retirement savings and income into real estate, "flipping" houses long before the idea was popular. She purchased, renovated and brought up to code more than 40 properties, including one condemned home. Her commitment to the preservation and improvement of the community led to her recruitment as a member of the Sebring Historical Preservation Commission.Elizabeth created Walker Video Productions, originally to record weddings and living wills, but she soon began to preserve living histories, record local events and document daily life in 20th century Highlands County. Her contributions to the Sebring Historical Society are considerable and she served as editor of their newsletter for years. She also edited manuscripts for aspiring authors and wrote several herself. In the 1990s she became a correspondent for the News-Sun, writing many features about local persons, institutions and events which have shaped the county. She also became a member of the UDC and helped promoted genealogical research.Elizabeth was instrumental in rescuing from obscurity a local painting valued at more than one million dollars. The "Wooly Mammoth and Saber-Tooth Cat" was a mural painted by artist Charles Knight for the old Sebring Post Office back in the 1930s. When the post office moved, the mural was removed, framed and taken, too. For many years it hung in a back room at the North Ridgewood facility before Elizabeth revived interest in it through her research and writings. It subsequently was moved to the Sebring Public Library, where all can enjoy it. Other than her family, the three things of which she was most proud were her writings, her success in making the "Wooly Mammoth" public and the creation of a unique holiday "Middle Kids Day," designed to celebrate all children born into the "middle" of families who might feel left out, as she did growing up in a large family. Nationally recognized in the publication Chases Annual Events, Middle Kids Day is celebrated - when else in the middle of the year. Elizabeth is survived by her sister, Doris Dailey; and one son, Litton M. Walker Jr., both of Sebring; daughters-in-law, Kim Walker and Pam Morris of Sebring, and Vera Walker of Miami, Fla.; and daughter, the Rev. Dr. Ann Walker of Harrisburg, Pa.; two grandsons; three granddaughters; three great-grandsons; and countless nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Scotty Walker, and son, Ted A. Walker of Miami. A visitation will take place noon-2 p.m. Friday, with service to follow, at Bible Fellowship Church, 3750 Hammock Road, Sebring. Inurnment will be at Pinecrest Cemetery, Sebring, Fla., at the convenience of the family. Memorial contributions may be made to Good Shepherd Hospice or charity of choice. Morris Funeral Chapel Sebring