What began as a temporary job at The Lakeland Times turned into Don Walker’s career in newspapers, spanning 54 years.
Walker, who grew up in Crosby, Minn., enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 17. After completing his tour of duty, he returned to Crosby to work for a few years before answering an ad to take on some temporary work at The Lakeland Times. By 1958, Walker (then 23) purchased the newspaper and built the publication from a weekly with a few hundred subscribers into a statewide powerhouse with one of the largest non-daily circulations in Wisconsin.
Walker was 77 years old when he died Dec. 8, 2012, with his family by his side. Walker was inducted into the Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2007. The Times garnered hundreds of journalism awards, and Walker also helped pioneer more efficient modes of newspaper production and was integrally involved in starting the first central printing plant in Wisconsin.
He was publisher of The Lakeland Times for 48 years and president of the Lakeland Printing Corporation, the parent company for The Times, for 54 years. Walker supported many community charities and civic organizations through his career.
He and his wife had two children, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
