Evan Harris Walker*

By Allen Esterson

One of the main proponents of the thesis that Einstein’s 1905 papers were co-authored by Mileva Marić, and a key contributor to the Einstein's Wife documentary, is Evan Harris Walker, president of the Walker Cancer Research Institute (also known as the National Cancer Research Center). Walker’s significance in the debate is, on the surface, enhanced by the fact that he holds a Ph.D. in physics. However, John Stachel, founding editor of the Albert Einstein Collected Papers project, has written of Walker that if he had to judge him solely on the basis of a letter he published in Physics Today on the role of Marić in Einstein’s work he “would have to conclude that he is a fantasist, who judges reality on the basis of his own ideas”. (Stachel, J. Einstein from 'B' to 'Z', 2002, pp.26-29. See also Esterson, A. http://www.esterson.org/Walker_Physics_Today.htm)

That Walker is no stranger to excessive claims is shown by the contention on the Walker Cancer Research Institute website that the organization can take some credit for the fact that in the decade 1988-1998 “cancer rates have declined by 0.7%”. On the basis of the fact that this decade “corresponds” to the period that the Institute had been sending out to the public “notices calling for people to take specific steps to reduce their risk of cancer, notices to people that other organizations largely ignore”, they state that “We at the WALKER CANCER RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC. believe that we have contributed significantly to this downturn in the incidence of cancer”.

http://walkercri.org/your_help/your_help.htm

http://walkercri.org/achievements/achievements.htm

[Update January 2007: The first of these webpages is no longer accessible, but if the URL is copied into the Internet Archive Wayback Machine and the link for February 20, 2006 is clicked, the webpage may be read. The second webpage has had the paragraph making the claim cited above removed. However if the URL is copied into the Internet Archive Wayback Machine and the link for February 20, 2006 is clicked, the original webpage may be read.]

Whatever the value of the research at the Walker Cancer Research Institute, it is noteworthy that its charitable accountability has come under close scrutiny. The Charity Navigator awards the organization 0 stars for its Efficiency Rating, and only 1 star for its Overall Rating:

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/5417.htm

Ratings (maximum 4 stars):

0 stars: Exceptionally Poor: Performs far below industry standards and below nearly all charities in its Cause.

1 star: Poor: Fails to meet industry standards and performs well below most charities in its Cause.

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/content.view/catid/2/cpid/43.htm

Better Business Bureau is also unimpressed by the fundraising side of the organization. As of 2005 it reports on the Walker Cancer Research Institute: “Despite written BBB Wise Giving Alliance requests in the past year, this organization either has not responded to Alliance requests for information or has declined to be evaluated in relation to the Alliance’s Standards for Charity Accountability.”

http://charityreports.give.org/Public/Report.aspx?CharityID=1301

Concerns about the Walker Cancer Research Institute’s charitable accountability led to its being cited on other lists of “questionable charities” in 1999:

http://www.efmoody.com/charity/charitytypes.html

http://www.dutchessny.gov/CountyGov/Departments/CountyExecutive/CE19991019coedonor.htm

In 2005 the following statement appeared on Dr Walker’s personal website under the heading Cancer Research, National Cancer Research Center: “Dr Evan Harris Walker and the Center’s team of scientists are conducting promising research on time delay toxin activation, TDTA. A cure is imminant [sic].” (This statement went back at least as far as March 2003.) It is worthy of note that this claim that a cure is imminent no longer appears on the internet, and Internet Access Wayback Machine, the website for archival retrieval of deleted website material, now states that retrieval of the webpage in question, and of Walker’s homepage, has been blocked by the site owner.

The URL for the website formerly making the claim of an imminent cure is: http://users.rcn.com/wcri/wcri/cancer1.htm

*Evan Harris Walker died on 17 August 2006.

http://www.esterson.org/

June 2006