Rev David Walker,
born 20 September 1911, died 31 October 2009
When David Walker died, he was just over two weeks away from what would have been the sixtieth anniversary of his ordination to the ministry. Few approach that milestone, and even fewer for whom the ministry was a second career.
David Walker was born in Rutherglen and educated at Rutherglen Academy and then he studied pharmacy at the Royal Technical College and for seven years worked as an assistant pharmacist. Sensing a call to the ministry he studied at Glasgow University and in 1939 was ordained and inducted to Mossvale Church in Paisley but stayed only three years there before moving to what became Croftfoot Parish Church. The congregation was in severe debt when he arrived and under David Walker’s ministry the finances were put on a sound footing. He was particularly supportive of the youth work within the congregation. Someone who was a girl in the Sunday school during Walker’s ministry in Croftfoot remembers a minister with a hearty laugh and a magificent voice (he had won the prize for voice production and Trinity Collerge) who had an old car which regularly ran out of petrol, resulting in members of the congregation having to siphon some from their own cars to enable David Walker to get home.
In 1951 Walker moved to the charge of Ervie and Kirkcolm in Galloway for four years before being called to the West Church in Alloa of which he was to write a history. His final move in 1966 was to the linked border parishes of Makerstoun and Smailholm, to which were added Stichill, Hume and Nenthorn in 1975. He was rightly proud that he left every congregation where he was minister with more members than when he arrived.
David Walker retired in 1978, and after some time returned to West Kilbride where he had family connections, and became a member of the Presbytery of Ardrossan. At the age of 98, he spoke at the Presbytery meeting in September for over five minutes, his voice strong as ever and without a note.