Kenon Walker, Duckmaster

BirdNote^®
Kenon Walker, Duckmaster
Written by Mark Bramhill
 
Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote.  

[Sound of hotel lobby]

The Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee is a swanky hotel best known for its ducks. It has five ducks that live in a 'palace' on the roof; each morning they’re marched into the lobby fountain with great fanfare, then marched back up in the afternoon.  


[Ducks quacking]

The tradition goes back to 1933, to an incident involving the manager of the hotel, live duck decoys for a duck hunt, and a bit too much whiskey. Guests were charmed to find ducks swimming in the hotel fountain in the morning, and they became a fixture of the hotel.  


Kenon Walker: …and it became a tradition to have ducks live in the fountain. But the bellman had to take care of them.  


[Contemplative blues guitar music begins]

Mark Bramhill: Kenon Walker is the current 'Duckmaster' of the hotel. But when these ducks first arrived in the ’30s, there was no ceremony — just some ducks swimming in a fountain that there wasn't a great plan for taking care of. 

Kenon Walker: Keep in mind, we were in the south, so the hotel was a segregated hotel at that point. The bellmen were black. Couldn't stay at the hotel though. Based off of pictures that I've seen prior to starting the duck march, I think that the men who were responsible for caring for those ducks felt like the ducks had more value than they did inside the hotel.

As I look at pictures of the bellmen who were responsible for ducks, I don't see a smile on anyone's face. Not a single person.  


Mark Bramhill: In 1940, a Black man named Edward Pembroke came to work as a bellman at the Peabody. And it just so happened that Edward used to be an animal trainer for the circus. So when he saw the situation with the ducks, he came up with the idea of creating a spectacle. He was the hotel’s first Duckmaster, with other bellmen leading the show on days he wasn't working.  

Kenon Walker: I would like to think that, when it was, you know, whoever's day to march the ducks, I would like to think that they felt a little bit more important that day, you know what I mean? Or they felt a little bit more respected, because they weren't just the guy carrying bags back and forth, they were the person spearheading the ceremony the people came to see. And I think what that did was it added a bit more respect to the reputation of the black man who worked because there's no telling what kind of treatment they endured during that time period.  


Mark Bramhill: Edward Pembroke was Duckmaster at the Peabody for 50 years, retiring at age 82. He appeared with his ducks on shows like Johnny Carson, and made the march into a legend. But after he retired in 1991, every Duckmaster until Kenon was white.  

Kenon Walker: And to be honest, like, when I was offered the position, I was hesitant to do it, because I didn't fully know the history behind it, and I never saw a Duckmaster who looked like me.  


When I found out that Mr. Pembroke started the Duck March, and then I found out that bellmen would step in and do it… But then when I saw this picture, I accepted the position to honor Mr. Pembroke. To honor the men who were downgraded and weren't treated with the respect that they deserved.  

So I would like to think that hopefully now, those men who weren't smiling in that picture, that are no longer here anymore, might be looking down smiling now.  

Kenon Walker (Presenting the Duck March ceremony): Welcome everybody, not just to the Peabody, but also to this morning’s Duck March Ceremony! [Applause] I appreciate every single one of you.

[Guitar music ends]

Mark Bramhill: While Kenon didn't ever plan on a job like he has now, after starting as Duckmaster he realized how well his past work had prepared him for this moment. He'd studied theatre and worked as an actor, he'd worked for years at the National Civil Rights Museum as a tour guide and become passionate about history.  


Kenon Walker: Being an actor, well now I perform ten times a week for an international audience.  Being a tour guide, a historian, I'm teaching history. Part of what I do as a Duckmaster is a history presentation.  I'm a father. My daughter just turned 13, I love connecting with the kids and creating experiences for them. Now I had to learn how to train ducks. I did not come to the table, you know what I mean? I did not come to the table having that skill. But it's just, I have so much joy doing this now, but I couldn't have seen myself doing it five years ago.  

So sometimes, once we just… Move out of our own way and allow ourselves to be led into what's purpose for us… Man, what's on the other side of that will blow your mind.  


Kenon Walker (Presenting the Duck March ceremony): …the Peabody Hotel hired a gentleman. A gentleman by the name of Edward Pembroke to be a bellman. As a matter of fact, ladies and gentlemen, let’s send some love out to all of our outstanding bellmen. [Applause]

Mark Bramhill: Kenon can be found most days leading the world famous Peabody Ducks in their marches to and from the hotel’s lobby.  


Kenon Walker: And if you see me, don't hesitate to say hi.  

Mark Bramhill: For BirdNote, I’m Mark Bramhill.

###

Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2025 BirdNote February 2025
Narrator: Mark Bramhill

ID# PeabodyDucks-02-2025-02-03    PeabodyDucks-02

Reference:

Full interview with Kenon: https://share.descript.com/view/7xz0p2AgxsV

Interview with Kenon in Memphis Current: https://web.archive.org/web/20221203201410/https://www.memphiscurrent.com/post/duckmaster

Audubon article: https://www.audubon.org/news/tennessees-most-historic-hotel-also-home-greatest-duck-tradition