Walch Inducted Into Smith-Cotton Activities Hall Of Fame

Ted Walch, whose more than 30-year career in education was devoted to teaching
theater, was inducted into the Smith-Cotton Activities Hall of Fame on Tuesday, April 30,
in the Heckart Performing Arts Center.

A member of S-C’s Class of 1959, Walch graduated from Kenyon College in Gambier,
Ohio, in 1963, where his interest in becoming a theater director was sparked. He then
pursued a graduate degree in drama at Catholic University of America in Washington,
D.C., graduating in 1966. That fall, he began his 55-year career in teaching at the St.
Albans School in Washington D.C., where he worked for 13 years. He later would teach
at The Branson School in Marin County, Calif., and then Harvard-Westlake School in
Studio City, Calif., where he was head of performing arts and taught for more than 30
years.

Walch influenced many stage and screen stars and their children during his tenure at
Harvard-Westlake before his passing in September 2022.

Walch’s older brother, Tony Walch, told the audience at the induction that Ted would
encourage today’s Smith-Cotton students to pursue their passions.

“Go for whatever … rings your bell,” Tony Walch said, speaking on behalf of his brother.
“When you do, go for it big time and do the best you can. And while you are doing it,
don’t worry about who is better or who’s worse, just do the very best you can and
everything will work out extremely well.”

In the photo: Tony Walch addresses the audience at the induction of his younger brother, Ted Walch, into the Smith-Cotton Activities Hall of Fame on Tuesday, April 30, in the Heckart Performing Arts Center. Ted Walch, who died in 2022, was a theater teacher for more than 30 years.