 Walker was born in Los Cerrillos , New Mexico , on 17 July 1898 to Wallace Walker and his wife Emma née <unk> . The family subsequently moved to Denver , Colorado . Kenneth 's father left when he was young , and Emma became a single mother . Kenneth began his education at the Maria Mitchell School in Denver , Colorado , from 1905 to 1908 , and then attended the Columbian School there from 1908 to 1912 . He went to Central High School for a time until 1913 when he started at the Omaha High School of Commerce , from which he graduated in 1915 . From January to June 1917 he took a course at the YMCA Night School in Denver . He then studied business administration at La Salle Extension University . 
