Lawrence A. Walker

Lawrence A. Walker of Charleston, S.C., widower of Phyllis Corson Walker, died on March 5, 2011  Friends may call at 57 Laurens Street, Charleston, SC on Thursday, March 10, 2011 between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. 

Lawrence was born on January 16, 1916, in Summerville, SC, the son of the late Lawrence Adams Walker and the late Margaret Buswell Walker.  He graduated from the College of Charleston.  During World War II, he served in the Pacific in the U.S.Navy, and achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander.  After the war, he worked in insurance and investments, until he retired to become the executive director of the Historic Charleston Foundation where he previously served as president.  He retired from the Foundation in 1993.  In 2005 the Foundation honored him with the Frances R. Edmunds Award for Historic Preservation.

His lifelong pursuits were horticulture, preservation, and conservation.  In addition to his service to the Foundation, he was on the first board of trustees of the Lowcountry Open Land Trust.  He was president of the Historic Ansonborough Neighborhood Association and on the boards of the S.C. Heritage Corridor and Charleston Affordable Housing.  He was instrumental in the establishment of the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site and the Calhoun Corridor plan.  After his retirement he remained keenly interested and actively involved in civic and preservation issues that reflected his love of Charleston and the surrounding lowcountry.  He never sought the spotlight, and his friends and acquaintances knew him as the quintessential gentleman.

He was a former member of the Carolina Yacht Club, Charleston Club, the Agriculture Society of SC, and numerous other social and civic organizations.    

He is survived by two sons:  Stephen L. (Mary) Walker of Johns Island, SC, and G. Trenholm (Susan) Walker of Charleston, SC; one daughter:  Phyllis W. Ewing of Charleston, SC; one grandson: James G.B. Ewing, IV; and one granddaughter:  Stephanie (Jeremy) Ewing Schneider.  He was predeceased by two sisters, Margaret Walker Smith and Eleanor Walker Dion. 

The family would like especially to thank his caregivers - Emily, Falicia, Laura, Leroy, Maybell, Patrice, Robin, and Beacon Hospice - and Bill Milner, a long time friend and neighbor, who oversaw his care at home. 

Funeral services will be private.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Historic Charleston Foundation, 40 East Bay Street, Charleston, SC, 29401, the Lowcountry Open Land Trust, 80 Alexander Street, Charleston, SC 29403, the Coastal Community Foundation, 635 Rutledge Avenue, Suite 201, Charleston, SC, 29403 or the charity of one's choice. 

Arrangement by J. HENRY STUHR, INC., DOWNTOWN CHAPEL.