Duane Allison Walker

Born July 31, 1927, in Pacific Palisades, California, Mr. Walker, upon graduation from University High School in Los Angeles, enlisted in the U.S. Maritime Service. During this time, he made several trips abroad on freighters and passenger ships to Europe, Shanghai, Bombay, Karachi, Sri Lanka, Alexandria, Port Said, Egypt, Aden and Arabia.

Graduating from U.S.C. in 1951, he pursued theological studies at Berkeley Divinity School, Berkeley, California and graduated in 1954. He continued his graduate studies at Boston University and Harvard Divinity School, receiving his doctorate in theology in 1957.

Walker was ordained to the Christian ministry by the Presbytery of Los Angeles in 1957. From 1957 to 1962 he served as assistant pastor of the Granada Hills Presbyterian Church and assistant pastor of the Brentwood Presbyterian Church. He was called to the First Presbyterian Church of Oceanside in 1962 where he remained as Senior Pastor for 32 years, retiring in 1993.

During his pastorate in Oceanside, Dr. Walker served on a number of community committees, among them Oceanside’s first Human Relations Committee and the planning committee for Carlsbad’s downtown library. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Ecumenical Service Center, initiated Protestant/Roman Catholic dialogues with the faculty of the former seminary at the Mission San Luis Rey, and launched the “Festival of Life”, a biannual series of seminars for the community on a wide variety of issues under the leadership of credentialed resource persons. Additionally, he introduced the annual “Year in Music” series featuring quality music events, was instrumental in pioneering the church's highly regarded Preschool, and helped develop the well-received monthly morning Forum lectures, providing a platform for speakers on issues relating to the Christian faith. Walker taught Philosophy of Religion and World Religions at Mira Costa College and taught extension courses for San Francisco Theological Seminary.

His sermon on John Kennedy's assassination, "Whither America?" in 1964 earned him a Freedom Foundation Award from Valley Forge.

An active member of the Presbytery of San Diego, Walker was elected Moderator of the Presbytery in 1979, when San Diego hosted the annual meeting of the General Assembly of the national denomination. Walker was highly respected by his large congregation for his timely and thoughtful sermons, wide reading, ready wit and care of a diverse membership. The present church campus at the corner of El Camino Real and Fire Mountain Road came about under his leadership.

Of particular satisfaction to Dr. Walker were the number of active and retired clergypersons involved in the life of the congregation which, at one time, numbered as many as eighteen ministers. For these colleagues, Walker originated a monthly gathering dubbed “The Minyan” (Hebrew for “quorum”) for the purpose of book reviews and presentation of papers on topics of interest and camaraderie.

An avid tennis player and reader of biography and history, Walker will be remembered for his love of travel, including leading tours of Israel, Europe, the British Isles, the Greek Islands, the Passion Play at Oberammergau in Bavaria on two occasions, and St. Petersburg. His congregation provided him with the opportunity for study at Oxford University in 1974 and 1985. Additional travel included China, Mongolia, two weeks by train across Siberia to Moscow, a safari in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, including Victoria Falls, and the Amazon River and Peruvian Rain Forest. Upon retirement from the Oceanside church in 1993 he was appointed pastor emeritus. Walker will also be remembered for his love of gardening, his weekly competitive tennis matches, and his daily nature walks, accompanied by his ever faithful dog by his side, “Winnie”.

He is survived by his lovely wife Barbara of Carlsbad, California, daughter Daphne and son David of Hinesburg, Vermont, sister Virginia Otis of Champions Gate, Florida, and his wife’s family: daughters Kym Maust of Carlsbad, Anastasia Kurilich of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Jill Billhofer and spouse Michael of Clovis, California, grandsons Cole Billhofer of Culver City, California and Garret Billhofer of San Luis Obispo, California. He was preceded in death by sister Desiree Cooper of Granada Hills, California.

A memorial service will be held at Christ Presbyterian Church, 7807 Centella Street, Carlsbad, to be determined at a later date.