Robert Walkup

Robert E. Walkup Appointed as Honorary Consul of the Republic of Korea for the State of Arizona Tucson, Ariz. - Former Mayor Robert E. Walkup, a resident of the City of Tucson, Arizona, has been appointed as honorary consul of the Republic of Korea for the State of Arizona. The swearing in Ceremony is scheduled for Monday, July 29, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. The ceremony will be held at the office of Congressman Ron Barber, District 8, 3945 E. Fort Lowell Rd., Suite 211, Tucson, AZ 85712. Mr. Walkup’s primary duties and responsibilities will be to exert his best effort to protect overseas Korean nationals, a basic obligation of the government under the Constitution. Additionally, his duties shall include acting as a liaison officer for the promotion of trade, economic, cultural, scientific, education relations and the facilitation of commercial transaction and/or introduction of foreign capital. Mr. Walkup was raised in Ames, Iowa and is a graduate of Iowa State University. He received his bachelors’ degree in industrial engineering in 1960. After two years as an officer in the Corp of Engineers he returned to Iowa and started work as a manufacturing and aerospace engineer. His career includes significant management and executive positions with Collins Radio, Rockwell International, Fairchild Republic, and Hughes Aircraft Co. His specialties are avionics, aircraft design and manufacturing, tactical missile development and deployment; space research, international trade, and government relations. In 1999, Walkup was elected as a Republican Mayor in the primarily Democratic city of Tucson. He was reelected twice more serving for a total of 12 years before his retirement in 2012. He served as the Vice Chair of the US Conference of Mayors’ Aviation Subcommittee, President of the Arizona League of Cities and Towns, and Chairman of the Regional Economic Development Organization. Mr. Walkup is married to Beth Walkup. Together they have 6 children and 8 grandchildren. It is expected that Mr. Robert Walkup will be instrumental to promote the friendly and substantial relations between Korea and Arizona.