10/03/2026
Introducing Dancer #2 for our Celebrity Dance Gala, Starry, Starry Night.....James Walker
James Walker’s success story is MarionMade! James earned his Eagle Scout in 2003 from Troop 3 at Epworth United Methodist Church. He graduated Salutatorian from River Valley High School in 2004. James was also a proud recipient of scholarships from Epworth UMC, the George Alber Fund, and the Marion Music Club to attend Otterbein College (now Otterbein University) where he graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music Education.
While in college, James joined the Ohio Army National Guard where he served as a musician with the 122nd Army Band and as an Honor Guard with the Military Funeral Honors Section.
After graduating college, James pursued a career in the Regular Army. He served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps Band from Fort Gordon, GA (now Fort Eisenhower), the 323rd Army Band in Sam Houston, TX, the United States Army Europe Band & Chorus in Sembach, Germany, and the 101st Airborne Division Band (Air Assault) in Fort Campbell, KY where he also served one tour in Afghanistan.
While in the Army, James was able to experience great cities from around the US and the whole world. His love of Marion and passion for great public places led him to leave the Army, begin an internship under the Department of Defense Skillbridge program with the Marion County Regional Planning Commission where he works today as a Planning Aide. “Everything good happening in Marion comes through our office one way or another,” says Walker. “I love being involved in so much of the progress Marion is making.”
After being a member of the “Strong Towns” organization for a while and seeing all the great strides the Marion Community has made over the years, James decided to nominate Marion for the 2025 Strongest Town Contest. Just as Marionites have rallied together for every good thing we have, great or small, once again Marion rose to the occasion to be declared the Strongest Town in North America for 2025. “This award is more than a milestone,” says James, “It is a mirror. I just want to hold it in front of everyone from this town and say ‘This is you! This is what you are capable of! This is what we can do when we work together! Just because we don’t have a lot doesn’t mean we can’t have good things for our community.”
To learn more about how you can make Marion an even stronger town, visit www.StrongTowns.org. Watch Marion’s Strongest Town Documentary on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4BByDJ9w-M
James will be dancing the Jive with returning instructor Melissa Bollinger.
Thank you James for your service and saying “YES” to the dance!
📸 Photo by Brandy Gatrell
