Ethel Pitts Walker was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1943. She received a Bachelor of Science in education from Lincoln University in 1964, a M.A. in speech and drama from the University of Colorado in 1965 and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri in theater in 1975. Dr. Walker has directed over 25 plays, written two books, owned a theater company with her husband which specializes in African American historical plays for thirty years and has taught for over twenty years at San Jose State University and other universities including the University of California, Berkeley, Laney College and the University of Illinois, Urbana- Campaign. She retired from her position as Emeritus Professor of Theater at San Jose State in December 2014.

Included in this collection are copies of books she wrote chapters for or edited. Also included are various scripts and production notes of plays she directed. Her speeches, awards, research notes from her dissertation and other projects and programs of her plays are also contained in this collection.

The collection is divided into three series: Series I: research and dissertation notes and recordings Series II: scripts, production notes, and programs, Series III: publications, reviews and awards.