Walter Channing

Walter Channing Jr. (September 23, 1940 – March 12, 2015) was a wood sculptor, winemaker, and venture capitalist. He owned the Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton, New York, where he planted his first Chardonnay vines in 1982. His older sister, Cornelia "Nina" Channing, went on to become a prominent researcher in the field of endocrinology and fertility.

Growing up in a wooded area, Channing developed a lifelong interest in trees. As a child, he ran a tree-surgery business.

Business Channing began his career in computer programming, working for Honeywell and Raytheon.

In 1968, with a partner, Barry Weinberg, Channing founded Channing, Weinberg & Co., Inc., a management consulting firm for pharmaceutical, diagnostic, medical device and biotechnology companies. The company was the leading strategy consultant to the health-equipment industry.

In 1983, Channing and Weinberg formed a separate venture-capital partnership, C.W. Group, that specialized in new medical technology. At the time it was the largest venture-capital fund devoted exclusively to investments in health-care companies.

Channing was a director of many of the companies launched by his firm, including GMIS Inc., VelQuest Corporation, Plexxikon, and Care Advantage. The two divorced in 1967, but Stockard kept the surname, eventually dropping her first name and going simply by Stockard Channing.