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Former Manhattan Beach City Councilman James Walker died Aug. 1 while riding his motorcycle to a Harley Davidson Convention in South Dakota. He was 70.
According to Richard Ebel, deputy coroner/investigator in Victorville, Walker died from hyperthermia as a result of driving his motorcycle in 130-degree (55 degrees. C) heat in Baker, Calif. (60 km north of route 66) Ebel said a motorist reported that he saw Walker pull his motorcycle off to the shoulder of the highway and then sit down beside it. Shortly later, another motorist apparently suspected something was wrong with Walker and pulled off to the side of the road to assist him. The man observed that Walker was breathing heavily, Ebel said, so he gave him some water and then called 911. When paramedics arrived at the scene at about 4 p.m., Walker was unresponsive, although he did have a pulse, Ebel said. Due to his condition, paramedics decided to transport him to Barstow Community Hospital, which was about 60 miles away. Walker died in the emergency room at Barstow Community Hospital at approximately 5:30 p.m. “He didn’t make it,” Ebel said. Walker was traveling through Baker, Calif., last week on his way to Utah, where he had planned to meet his son, Skye. The two had then planned to travel onto South Dakota together for a Harley Davidson convention.
Skye, who lives in Seattle, Wash., said he gave his father the trip to the convention as a 70th birthday present. Skye said it was his father’s idea to meet in Utah. “I thought it was a bad idea, but he insisted on it,” Skye said. Skye said although he was saddened by the news of his father’s death, he was comforted by the fact that a motorist had stopped to help him in his final hours. “It’s nice to know he was cared for,” he said. Friends and family members held a memorial service for Walker on Catalina Island Tuesday. In addition to his son, Skye, Walker is survived by a sister-in-law, Jane; and nieces and nephews, Jeff and Guy, Brady Miller and Elizabeth Reed. Walker was a lifelong resident of El Porto. He is best known in the community for his involvement in city politics. Walker served on the Manhattan Beach City Council from 1982 through 1986.
Bob Holmes, Russ Lesser and Bill Switzer, who served on the council with Walker during that time period and had lunch with him just two weeks ago, said they will miss him. “He was good to everyone and he loved life,” Switzer said. “He was a wonderful guy and was one of a kind.” Beyond his involvement on the City Council, Walker worked a wide variety of jobs over the years. He was a real estate broker with V.O. Realty in Manhattan Beach, which his father had owned; a lobbyist for the United States Marshals Department; a bodyguard for political candidates; a Palos Verdes police officer; a certified scuba diver and volunteer at the Catalina Island hyperbaric chamber; an ordained minister; and a captain and shore boat driver at Two Harbors at Catalina Island.
“He did everything,” said Brady Miller. “He was such a fun and interesting person. He had a great sense of humor and everyone loved him.” Walker was also a stunt man in early Hollywood movies filmed in Sand Dune Park, as well as a Korean War veteran. In the years leading up to his death, Walker had been taking helicopter flying lessons and riding his Harley. He also enjoyed spending time on his boat, the Seaview. Friends say Walker was eccentric, caring and wise. They also said that he often covered up his intelligence with his sense of humor. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be given to the 1736 Family Crisis Center located in Hermosa Beach.
October 14, 2002