Publisher helped many

Carol Stream resident Robert Alender Walker, a pioneer in Christian journalism, was a friend to many.

Even Pat Boone, popular singer and author, has Mr. Walker on his personal list of top three unforgettable characters he's encountered, he said Wednesday.

"He was stronger than Arnold Schwarzenegger, he bench-pressed huge weights," Boone said. "He was just an innovator, an anchor, a man full of wisdom."

Mr. Walker had Parkinson's disease for some time and his death on March 1 was triggered by influenza that turned into pneumonia. He was a pioneer throughout his life and also a professor at Wheaton College from 1942 to 1947.

He founded His Magazine, Christian Life Magazine, Creation House Books, Christian Bookseller and Christian Writers Institute. He also is the founder of the Pioneer Club.

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder of International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, said Mr. Walker was unique because he never tried to control any of his publications.

"So, ironically, I would say that we won't feel, in a practical way, the loss," Eckstein said. "His footprint is in every aspect of what's going on."

Mr. Walker helped Boone publish "A New Song" and helped Boone's wife, Shirley, publish "One Woman's Liberation."

"Both of our books were extremely successful and Bob Walker was the catalyst and the instigator," Pat Boone said.

Mr. Walker's wife, Barbara, said her husband was strong, a best friend, a beloved husband, a special father and a protector.

"He was very direct and he just gave an aura of graciousness and great strength with grace," his wife said. "He was a great communicator and he took time to be with people."

Boone said Mr. Walker was a man with a great sense of humor, a faithful husband, a good friend, loyal and always available.

"Any good trait you can think of, he had it," Boone said. "He was a good writer himself as well as a publisher and a friend of good writers."

Mr. Walker was a mentor to a lot of people, including aspiring writers and people who wanted to get their writing published. He attended University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana for two years, then attended Wheaton College, and then got his master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

Boone said he'd always have to be careful when he hugged Mr. Walker.

"If I didn't take a deep breath, he would crush me," he joked. "I will miss him, but I fully look forward to seeing him again and getting a mighty hug in heaven."

Mr. Walker's memorial service will be at 4 p.m. Friday at Wheaton Bible Church, 410 N. Cross St. in Wheaton.

Memorials to the Robert Walker Scholarship Fund of Christian Life Missions, at 600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, FL 32746 are encouraged. For more information, call DuPage Memorial Chapel at (800) 588-1132.