Walker, Street to receive MC’s Order of the Golden Arrow at Bicentennial Homecoming

Joe Walker Jr., six-time SEC Coach of the Year in track and field, and Abby Munton Street, chief operating officer of University Hospitals, will receive the Order of the Golden Arrow at MC's Bicentennial Homecoming.

At first glance, retired coaching legend Joe Walker Jr. and Abby Munton Street, chief operating officer of University Hospitals for the University of Mississippi Medical Center, may not appear to have much in common.

Walker, a six-time Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year in track and field at the University of Mississippi who led Ole Miss to 11 top-20 NCAA finishes, won five consecutive SEC championships as head track coach at the University of Florida. He was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

Street is responsible for daily operations within the state’s largest health system for the areas of radiology, clinical labs, trauma management, palliative care, and other clinical and support services.

What binds them together is an appreciation for the relationships they forged at their alma mater, Mississippi Christian University, and the influence the academic institution has had on their careers.

“MC’s Christian environment was the perfect setting to help me grow in my faith and was a very positive influence on me and my development as a man,” Walker said. “So many of my fellow students and faculty set great standards for me. Several of my teammates on the cross country and track team went into full-time Christian service, although, laughingly, I think I did, too, as a coach.”

“Without a doubt, the most important aspect of MC was the deep friendships I found while a student,” Street said. “I have a close group who I still talk to daily. They have been my sounding board for every major decision, my biggest cheerleaders, by my side for some of my most fun experiences and carried me through my hardest times.”

Walker and Street will return to MC on Saturday, Oct. 31, to receive the Order of the Golden Arrow during the annual National Alumni Association Awards Brunch at 11 a.m. in Anderson Hall on the second floor of the B.C. Rogers Student Center as part of MC’s Bicentennial Homecoming.

The Order of the Golden Arrow honors individuals, alumni or friends of the University who have made outstanding personal or professional achievements in their professions, businesses or careers. It recognizes exceptional performance or leadership beyond the ordinary.

“I am deeply honored to have been selected and thankful that some folks felt like I had lived a life that made a difference in others,” Walker said. “There is no way my life would have been the same had it not been for my time at MC. I met my wife there and then got to coach in college at a very young age and had athletes that helped shape how I approached coaching and life.”

“I am incredibly honored and humbled to receive this recognition,” Street said. “As a professional in Mississippi, I see firsthand the outstanding accomplishments of our alumni, so to be recognized among so many incredible MC graduates is a real honor for me.”

Walker’s playing career revealed little about the successful track and field coach he would one day become.

Born in Oxford and raised in Utica, Walker excelled at basketball; as a senior, he played in the Mississippi High School All-Star Game and attended Ole Miss on the first M Club Scholarship. He lettered in freshman basketball and served as a team manager for the varsity, but transferred to MC to continue his basketball career.

He lettered in basketball at MC, but “it turned out God’s plan for me wasn’t to continue playing basketball.” Walker was encouraged to participate in track and cross-country events for the Choctaws and helped two distance relay teams set new school records. He also met and married his wife of 55-plus years, Faye Hall. The couple had three sons.

After coaching for one year in Meridian, Walker was hired to coach cross-country and track and field at MC. He recruited MC’s first Black student-athletes, Calvin Holmes and Willie Price, to help build the programs.

“Coach Walker was a role model to me,” Holmes said. “You could tell he was an honest and upfront guy. He was a man of faith. He didn’t preach it, but you saw that in him, and he was always ready to give good advice. Coach would talk to everybody. He had a dry wit as well.”

Holmes said Walker always knew how to break an athlete’s tension. Warming up before the start of an important race, Holmes began exhibiting signs of anxiety. Walker marched across the track holding a soft drink.

“Drink this cola,” he told Holmes. “I took a sip and forgot about being nervous. And we won the race. Coach was very resourceful, and he always wanted you to be the best you could be.”

Holmes exhibited similar nerves just before he was to take the Uniform CPA Examination. Walker confidently informed him that he would pass the test. “I asked him why,” Holmes recalled. “He said, ‘Because you told me you were going to. So you’ve got to pass it now.’” At age 21, Holmes became one of the first Black CPAs in Mississippi.

“Coach Walker was like a father and was the best mentor in the world,” Holmes said. “He helped me become a better athlete and helped me grow up.”

After spending nine years as the head track coach at MC, winning three Gulf South Conference titles, being active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and serving as a deacon at Morrison Heights Baptist Church, Walker moved on to the Southeastern Conference. But he never forgot where he began his collegiate coaching career.

“What sticks out to me is the number of quality people I found at MC,” the Louisville, Kentucky resident said. “MC shaped me as the coach and person I went on to be for my entire career. It all started at MC as a 23-year-old coach trying to find his footing and not slip and fall on my face. I grew there in all areas of my life and character.”

After graduating high school, Street was searching for a smaller college environment where she would be challenged to grow academically, spiritually and socially when she discovered MC. She knew she had found the right fit during a freshman composition class.

“We discussed Bob Dylan’s poem, ‘Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie,’” she recalled. A fan of both iconic American songwriters, she had never encountered this tribute. “My love of music, reading, history and culture converged in one assignment. I was sold on English literature as my major.”

Street spent most of her undergraduate career bouncing between the English and political science departments in Jennings Hall, developing strong critical thinking and communication skills while nurturing a deeper understanding of how humans and systems interact.

“The human experience is so central to healthcare,” Street said. “Patients and their caregivers are often at their most vulnerable when facing a medical problem, and each one has a unique set of circumstances surrounding them. Every operational decision I make as a healthcare leader affects the patients who trust us to care for them and the support staff on our teams.”

She said storytelling plays a powerful role in building trust in her leadership role.

“People rally around a compelling story, especially in the South. I love any opportunity to hear the stories of our patients and staff in the hospital. This helps me stay connected to my sense of purpose in the work I do.”

Longtime friend and fellow MC graduate Amanda Wells attributes Street’s success to her love for and care of people, exhibited from the moment they met on the first day of class as freshmen.

“It was clear from the beginning that she was a ball of fun,” Wells said, “but as we got to know each other, it was evident that she was ambitious, determined, loyal and always acted with integrity. All of that still stands today. Whatever Abby does, she does with the most fervor and care. I am honored to witness her accomplishments.”

After earning her bachelor’s degree in English and political science from MC and a master’s in health services administration and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Street joined UMMC as a project manager for outpatient enterprises. She later served as business administrator for the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery before becoming executive director at University Heart. As executive director of health system clinical operations, the Madison resident led adult cardiovascular and imaging service lines, including 10 interventional cardiology and radiology suites, as well as a portfolio of inpatient and outpatient diagnostic modalities and ambulatory provider clinics.

A fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and an active member of multiple industry associations, Street volunteers with various community organizations. She is looking forward to sharing MC’s Bicentennial Homecoming with her children, who Street hopes “will grow to appreciate the value of education, deep friendships and having a calling and purpose in their lives – all of which MC nurtured in me.”

“MC gave me the academic and technical preparation I needed for my next chapters of education and career, but most of all helped to cultivate in me a desire to have purpose and meaning in all that I do,” Street said. “MC challenged me to have a ‘why’ behind my beliefs and actions. The strong relationships I formed have shaped so much of who I am and what I have accomplished. I am so grateful for the education, experience and friendships MC provided.”