The Wichita, Kansas City Council approved the Dr. Ronald W. Walters Branch Library as the name of its new District 3 Branch Library. The decision was made at its Tuesday, January 5, 2021 City Council meeting. The library will open in early 2021.
Dr. Walters, a native of Wichita, organized the Dockum Drugstore Sit-In in 1958, one of the first lunch counter sit-ins of the civil rights movement.
Seventy names were submitted to the Library Board for consideration, and the Board narrowed the list to five. After a public voting period, the Board voted to submit Dr. Walters’ name to the City Council as their recommendation. The Board and the Council made their decisions after hearing from Mrs. Patricia Turner Walters about the life and accomplishments of Dr. Walters.