Walter Walker Palmer II
b. 1949
Musician, Educator, and Seasonal Steward of Little Four Brooks
Oldest son of Gilder and Anne Spring Alsop Gilder Palmer; founder of the Cobble Mountain Band and educator.
Born on January 13, 1949, Walter Walker Palmer II is the oldest son of Richard Gilder ("Gilly") Palmer and Anne Spring Alsop Gilder Palmer.
Walter's father, Gilder Palmer, was the oldest son of Walter Walker Palmer I and Helena Francesca Gilder, the second youngest daughter of Richard Watson Gilder and Helena de Kay Gilder — founders of Gramercy Park and of the historic Four Brooks Farm in Tyringham, Massachusetts. Walter Walker Palmer I was a prominent Harvard physician and scientist, a relative of Chicago-American businessman Potter Palmer, husband of Bertha Palmer. The Palmers originated in Stonington, Connecticut; their family are direct descendants of William Penn.
Brother to Reese D. A. Gilder Palmer, Walter W. Palmer II was a resident of Little Four Brooks in the mid-1980s — part of the historic Four Brooks Farm property — often returning for seasonal visits in the later years.
After graduating high school in 1968, young Walter Palmer would go on to graduate from the University of Massachusetts, studying English and Education. While pursuing his education, Walter formed the Cobble Mountain Band in 1973, writing many of their songs. He later had an appearance on 60 Minutes with Dan Rather as part of Rather's last appearance before transitioning to the CBS Nightly News.