Walter Henrik Moursund was born in Fredericksburg, Texas on August 13, 1884. One of eight children, he was the son of District Judge Albert Waddell and Henrikke M. Moursund, both immigrants from Norway. Dr. Moursund was later to attribute his interest in the study of medicine to the kindliness of a family doctor who helped him recover from a childhood illness. Following graduation from Fredericksburg High School, Dr. Moursund received his medical degree at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, in 1906. He married the former Freda Adelaide Plate of Seguin in 1907 and for the next several years was a general practitioner in Fredricksburg, Seguin, Marion, Lavernia and Sulphur Springs, Texas. During World War I he served with the army as a captain and then major.
Dr. Moursund's association with Baylor University College of Medicine began in 1911 when he joined the staff as an assistant in pathology and bacteriology. The college was at this time located in Dallas, and in the ensuing years Dr. Moursund served in a variety of roles, including professor of physiology, pathology, clinical pathology, bacteriology and hygiene. He also served as secretary and registrar, as acting dean, and finally as dean from 1923 until his retirement in 1953. His tenure spanned the years of Baylor's move to Houston in 1943 and its growth as part of the newly-created Texas Medical Center. His file of clippings and other material documenting the medical school's growth became the basis for A History of Baylor University College of Medicine 1900-1953, published by Dr. Moursund in 1956. Material concerning other medical institutions in the Houston area provided the basis for a second book, Medicine in Greater Houston 1836-1956,which was prepared as a manuscript but never published. Dr. Moursund's professional affiliations included membership in the American Medical Association, the Southern Medical Association, and the Harris County Medical Society. The Texas Medical Association elected him to emeritus membership in 1950. He was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree by Baylor University in 1946, and in 1951 the Walter H. and Freda Moursund Endowment was established at Baylor College of Medicine. Upon retirement from Baylor in 1953, Dr. Moursund was named dean emeritus and director of endowment. Dr. Moursund died April 2, 1959, and is buried at Grove Hill Memorial Park in Dallas.