Walter Phillips grew up in Valdez, his parents arriving there in 1908. In 1915 they moved to Old Iliamna and returned to Valdez in 1923. He worked for the Signal Corps, the Alaska Road Commission and later as a telephone lineman on the Valdez Trail (now part of the Richardson Highway). In June of 1984, Walter Phillips completed "The Roadhouses of the Richardson Highway, the first quarter century, 1898 to 1923," which he researched under an Alaska Historical Commission grant (Historical Collections, TX909.P53). Mr. Phillips retired to Palmer, Alaska.
From the description of Walter T. Phillips photograph collection [graphic] : Fairbanks and environs, 1911-1918. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 58568318