Coming Home: Meet Converse Alumna Ann “Pickle” Fulton Walker ’76
Written by Amanda Mathis
Being a Converse graduate wasn’t a choice that Ann just made – it was part of her legacy.
Ann “Pickle” Fulton Walker ’76 is one of the many Converse alumni celebrating during our annual Reunion Weekend this year. However, this year is special – it’s her 50th anniversary. For her, like so many before her, Converse isn’t merely a school. It is home and part of her family heritage.
Starting with the room where it happened.
More than a hundred years ago, Ann’s great-grandfather, Henry Edmund Ravenel, hosted Dexter Converse along with eleven prominent leaders to discuss higher education for women in Spartanburg. They left the meeting with an idea that then grew into Converse University.
Converse isn’t merely a school. It is home and part of her family heritage.
Thus began a ripple effect of 100-plus years for women in higher education. Since Converse’s inception, Ann’s grandmother, Nannie Ravenel Fulton, Class of 1915, and her mother, Margaret Fulton Walker ’45, along with many members of her family, are the reason she moved from Mt. Olive, North Carolina, to attend college in Spartanburg.
Building Her Own Legacy
“Eighteen family members have attended Converse and several second and third cousins attended while I was there, and while I have a family history, I made my own while I was at school,” said Ann.
“Eighteen family members have attended Converse and several second and third cousins attended while I was there…”
Ann “Pickle” Fulton Walker ’76
Her calendar was full while she was a student. She double majored in Contemporary Humanities and Economics, which was a cooperative program with Wofford College at the time.
“There was a semester when I was leaving one class early to attend a class at Wofford late,” reflected Ann. “As one of the few females attending the all-male college, it was hard to balance everything, but I made it work,” she said.”
She participated in the Oasis Dance Club that performed numerous times in the spring. She also served in the student government as officer of her sophomore class and as the junior class representative of her sophomore class.
“One of my fond memories of helping with the school dance was bringing Jimmy Buffett to play at the event.”
Ann “Pickle” Fulton Walker ’76
“One of my fond memories of helping with the school dance was bringing Jimmy Buffett to play at the event,” remembered Ann.
A student-athlete, she played on Converse’s first women’s basketball team for two seasons and was on the field hockey team – just like her mother.
Taking the Next Step
Recounting her time on campus, she spoke of how Converse provided her with the tools needed to enter a changing workforce in the late 1970s. The Vietnam War was coming to a close, gas prices were high, and the economy was difficult to navigate. Upon graduation, Ann moved to Chapel Hill to pursue a Master of Business Administration at the University of North Carolina.
“My Converse degree had value as I loved the teachers and it gave me a broad perspective of studies,” said Ann. “Especially when attending graduate school at a time when only a few women took that next step.”
After moving to New York City, Ann had a successful job in banking for 35 years. Wanting an easier pace of life, Ann relocated to Winston-Salem to work at Wachovia, where she currently resides and has stayed after retirement. She still enjoys playing tennis and was a literacy tutor, and attended the symphony and opera. Ann has been active in the Montreat community, completing two terms on the board of trustees of the conference center where she also previously served on the investment and finance committees. She is also the president of the Montreat Cottagers in Montreat and helps coordinate the 4th of July picnic.
Looking to the Next Generation
When reflecting on her time on campus, including the special bond with her freshman roommate, her advice to the next generation of Converse students is to “take the course for the professor – not the subject.”
“Converse is the perfect size for a school, offering enough diversity among students and extracurricular activities.” stated Ann.