1985
Citation:
Walton A. Lewis is chairman of the Lewis and Thompson Agency, Inc. He was born in Clearwater, Florida and received his formal education at the University of Iowa. When Mr. Lewis first came to Detroit, over 45 years ago, it was to find an insurance job. After working briefly for the Ford Rouge plant, he began his insurance career under R. G. Schuster, an independent insurance broker. In 1941 he organized the W. A. Lewis Insurance Agency and in 1968 the Agency was incorporated. As a company which began as a one-man operation, Lewis and Thompson is now one of Detroit’s leading independent insurance firms. He was one of the organizers of the First Independence National Bank and of the Southwest General Hospital of Detroit.
He has served as president of the Booker T. Washington Business Association, the University Cultural Center Association and the Friends of Oakland University, as vice president of the Detroit Urban League and as vice chairman of the board of the Greater Detroit Chamber of commerce. He has also served on the boards of directors of National Bank of Detroit and the Friends of Kresge Library. Presently, Mr. Lewis serves on the boards of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan Harper-Grace-Hutzel Hospitals, Michigan Cancer Foundation, The Greater Detroit Roundtable of Christians and Jews, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and Michigan Opera Theatre among others.
He is also affiliated with the United Foundation of Detroit, the Oakland University Foundation and the Center for Creative Studies and is vice president of the executive committee of the Economic Club of Detroit. He is a governor of the Michigan Basic Property Insurance Association, a trustee of Bethel A.M.E. Church and a lifetime member of the NAACP. Mr. Lewis has received numerous awards including citations from both the office of the Mayor of Detroit and the Detroit City Council, the Summit Award from the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce, and in 1984 the Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Northern Iowa.
Award was presented at the Works of Mercy Dinner, 1985.
Award was presented at the Works of Mercy Dinner, 1985.