Alan Walden is a broadcast journalist, historian, and author with more than half-a-century of experience in local and network radio and television, and more than two decades as a historical lecturer and interpreter.

Born in New York City in 1936, Walden began his career on Long Island, New York and was, at various times, news director of radio stations in Cleveland, New York City, and Boston, vice president of news for Metromedia Radio, executive producer and chief correspondent for the NBC News and Information Service, and Director of Network News and senior correspondent for NBC Radio. Walden joined WBAL in Baltimore in July of 1988 as morning news anchor and principal anchor of special events. His daily commentary, “Walden Ponderings,” made its debut a month later and was a mainstay of WBAL programming for more than eighteen years.

Walden has won virtually every major national and regional award for broadcast excellence during his long and distinguished career. In 2003 his commentaries were judged to be the “Best of the Best” in all categories by the Maryland-DC-Delaware Broadcasters Association. In 2005, Walden was chosen by the Society of Professional Journalists to receive its Lifetime Achievement Award presented to only one person or organization each year, and only if the committee can agree on a worthy candidate. Walden has also been honored with the Patrick Henry Award of the National Guard Association of the United States, the Meritorious Service Medal of the Maryland National Guard, the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal of the State of Maryland, the Public Service Award of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Good Citizenship Medal of the Sons of the American Revolution. In 1994 Walden was commissioned Colonel of the Maryland Line by then Governor Schaefer and, in 2003, by order of the Secretary of the Army, he was named Honorary Member of the 175th Infantry regiment. He is also a consultant and advisor to the State Department on issues of media management, and is an Associate Professor of Mass Communications and the College of Notre Dame of Maryland.

Walden is the author of two books: “Walden Ponderings-What’s Right, What’s Wrong, What Matters,” published in 1995 and “Isthmus,” a novel based on his experiences in Latin America, published as a talking book in 2002.

Walden serves as Chairman Emeritus of the Friends of Fort McHenry, the volunteer organization that supports the National Park Service at the nation’s only officially designated historic shrine. He is Past-President and Chairman of the Baltimore Council of the Navy League of the United States. Walden serves on the boards of the Baltimore Historic Ships Museum, the B&O Railroad Museum, has served on the boards of the Living Classrooms and American Flag Foundations, and is Past-President of the Maryland Press Club.

A frequent lecturer, banquet speaker and master of ceremonies Walden is an avid historian. He and his wife, the former Jean Houston, have been Civil War and American History lecturers on dozens of Clipper Cruise Line voyages along the Intracoastal Waterway, the Chesapeake Bay, the Hudson River in New York, and the coast of New England. They have also lectured on American History on the small ships of Cruise West, American Cruise Lines and American Canadian Caribbean Line, and have been featured speakers and historic interpreters on the vessels of Holland-America Line on cruises around South America. Walden has led tours to Great Britain, Ireland, Alaska, the Caribbean, the European mainland, Australia and New Zealand, and he has lectured on personally conducted historical tours and/or Baltimore Harbor cruises for the Maryland Historical Society as well as conducted tactical seminars for senior officers of the Maryland National Guard at Gettysburg National Battlefield.