Flag Ordered at Half-Staff for Former Mayor Milton Walker

From a news release:

Mayor Sidney Katz, the City of Gaithersburg flag will fly at half-staff on Tuesday, July 8, in honor of Milton Miles Walker, a former mayor of Gaithersburg who died on June 27.

He is survived by his wife of 74 years, Julia, and his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Walker served on the Gaithersburg City Council from 1956 to 1974 and as mayor from 1974 to 1976, a time of epic transition in Gaithersburg.

In the late 1950s, Gaithersburg’s population was 3,500. The late 1950s and early 1960s brought the Department of Energy to Germantown, and the National Bureau of Standards, National Geographic, and IBM to the Gaithersburg area, feeding the need for housing, retail and municipal services.

During Walker’s tenure, the city’s first two shopping centers were built, Gaithersburg Square and Duvall, followed soon after by Lakeforest Mall.

During this period, the city transitioned to a council/manager form of government to allow for full-time administration. Casey Community Center and the Gaithersburg Aquatic Center opened their doors. By the end of the 1970s, the city’s population had grown to more than 26,500.

“Thoughtful planning and management were needed to handle this growth spurt, and Mr. Walker was at the forefront. We would not be the dynamic, accessible, welcoming community that we are today without a man like Mr. Walker, who saw what was coming and laid a solid foundation that serves Gaithersburg to this day,” said Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz.

Visitation for Walker will be held at Molesworth-Williams Funeral Home in Damascus on July 7 from 7 – 9 p.m. and the service will be held on July 8 at 11 a.m., also at the funeral home.