Richard Scott Walker

     Richard Scott Walker was born on 18 July 1930 at Los Angeles County, California. He was the son of Clyde A. Walker and Lareine Gwendolyn Lucas. Richard Scott Walker married, at age 22, Peggy Ann Riggs, age 21, daughter of [—?—] Craig, on Sunday, 1 February 1953. Richard Scott Walker died on 22 May 2011 at age 80 years, 10 months and 4 days.
     His obituary was published on 9 June 2011 in the Ventura County Star, printed in Ventura, Ventura County, California. His obituary stated:

     Richard (Dick) Scott Walker passed away at home on May 22, 2011.

     He was born in Los Angeles to LaReine and Clyde Walker. He grew up in Oxnard and graduated from Oxnard High School in 1948, where he was captain of the tennis team. In 1949 the New York Giants and Boston Braves gave him baseball tryouts, but he was not signed. He continued playing tennis at Ventura Junior College, where he earned an AA degree in mathematics. On his way down to UCLA to register for his junior year, his National Guard, 40th Infantry Division, Battery C, 981st Field Artillery Battalion was called up due to the Korean War. He passed all the exams to receive a competitive appointment to West Point but could not pass the eye exam. He spent the next two years in training and was sent to Japan and Korea before being discharged in 1952. His education continued at the U of CA, Santa Barbara, where he played on the tennis team and graduated with a BS in mathematics.

     In 1960, while employed at the Naval Air Missile Test Center, Point Mugu, he received a Navy Scholarship to Stanford University, earning a Master's Degree in aeronautical engineering June 1961. He returned to Stanford in 1973-74 when he was selected as the Navy Stanford Sloan Executive Fellow in the 1973 University Graduate School of Business in a full-time extensive study in business management. His work experience included: Sperry Gyroscope at Point Mugu, Naval Air Missile Test Center, Project Manager for AMRAAM Systems Test at Hughes Aircraft, Science Applications International Corporation, and Advanced Technology, Inc. His main career was at NAMTC from 1958-1981, where he had various positions from the level of Department Head to Director of Engineering Applications. His responsibilities were more general management and executive than technical. During his career he received various awards but was most proud of Equal Employment Opportunity Manager/Supervisor of the Year Award for 1978. He retired in 1981.

     Dick married Peggy Riggs on Feb. 1, 1953. After the birth of two boys, Robert and Ronald, she died of Leukemia Sept. 9, 1959. He then married Nancy Walker on Nov. 4, 1961. Many years of camping, coaching boy's basketball and baseball, and playing tennis and golf filled the years of raising the boys. Upon retirement once again in 1992, Dick and Nancy put over 50,000 miles on their car during three trips across country, seeing the South in the spring and the North in the fall color, plus visiting all but two of the National Parks. They moved to Florence in 1994 where Dick participated in the Florentine Estates Board of Directors, the Architectural and Storm Water Drainage Committees, the City of Florence Storm Water Study and the City Budget Committee. His two favorite activities were golfing at Ocean Dunes, participating in the Florentine Hackers, belonging to the genealogy club, of which he was past president.

     He is survived by his wife, Nancy Walker, of Florence; son, Robert and wife Debra, of Carmichael, Calif; son, Ronald and wife Erin, of Orangevale, Calif; grandchildren, Ryley and Colin, of Orangevale, Calif; and step-grandchildren, Laura, Gary and Jennifer, and step-great-grandchildren, Owen, Leland and Lauren, of Sacramento, Calif., area.

     No services planned but remembrances may be made to Friends of Florence Van Fans or Home Health Hospice. Burn's Riverside Chapel Florence Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.