Judge David Walker was not thinking about being a lawyer or a judge when he graduated from Lufkin High School in 1948 nor after earning his bachelor’s degree in business at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, in 1952.
Instead, he returned to his hometown of Lufkin where he applied for a job at Lufkin Industries. Not only did he get the job, but he also met Virgia Lindsey, from Huntington, in the personnel office, who would later become his wife and lifelong friend for 70 years.
In fact, Walker did not decide to go to law school until after several years working at Lufkin Industries and then in real estate with his father, Howard Walker. In 1956 with two children at home and another on the way, Walker began commuting to Houston for his law degree, which he received from South Texas College of Law in 1959. By graduation, there were four children and the fifth –and final– child on the way.
Over the next ten years, Walker became a respected and well-liked attorney in Lufkin and was very involved in education and city government. He was elected to the Angelina County school board in 1961 and served as president during a tumultuous time of consolidation of the small schools in the county, even representing the school board as a young lawyer when they were sued. Walker says the district judge over East Texas at that time, Judge James H. Moore, ruled in their favor and told them they were doing a good job and to keep doing it.
From 1964-1969 he served as Lufkin’s city attorney, including the three times when he was called on to be acting city manager.
In 1966, Walker was elected to serve on the founding board of Angelina College, now a thriving institution which has been a launching pad for success for many East Texas students. He is now the only living member of the original board.
Walker’s law career took a dramatic turn in 1969 when Angelina County’s first state district court was created: the 159th Judicial District. Governor Preston Smith appointed Walker to be the county’s first state district judge on the recommendation of 90 percent of the local bar membership.
Walker had a tough opponent at the first election the next year, “but I won every box in the county, and I never had any more opponents for the rest of the time I served as judge,” said Walker.
Walker served as a district judge until his retirement in 1991. But he didn’t retire from the bench completely, serving another 23 years as senior visiting judge across Texas, predominately in East Texas.
Among his many contributions in his judicial role, he created both an adult and juvenile probation department, which are still in existence and have grown tremendously since their inception.
Things have changed dramatically since the time he sat in the Judge’s seat. “I have heard thousands of divorce cases, thousands of felony criminal cases, and thousands of civil cases. When the court was created for Angelina Country, I was the only Judge of record at that time. There are now four Judges of record here,” he said.
Walker served for twelve years before another Judge was added to support the needs of the county.
When asked which case was most memorable he laughed saying, “Well, there were a lot, but I had a lot of cases that were memorable.” All in all, Walker’s record reveals a pattern of exceptionally fair judgements, evidenced by the fact there were rarely any appeals during the many years he sat on the bench.
Today, at 92 years old, he states decisively, “My main interest is my five children, eleven grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren.” He is no doubt a family man at heart, married to his sweetheart, Virgia, for 70 years. The pair was wed in 1953 but Virgia passed in 2022, over two years ago.
Following in Walker's footsteps in law is his son George, and two of his grandsons, Justin and Jeff. Justin now teaches at the University Michigan State and Jeff works in the Minnesota Courts.
Besides his family, his other great love is the city of Lufkin. He was raised in the little East Texas town and counts himself blessed to have served in roles that allowed him a prime seat to see the area develop into what it is today.
From his work in the area schools, the growth of the city, development of criminal justice programs, and the launching of Angelina College, it’s fair to say his impact has been significant. All who are in the know would tell you that Judge David Walker has left a distinct fingerprint on the area that has proven, in more ways than one, to benefit the area with an impact that will continue for many generations to come.
Written by Dorothy Roark
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