Donor Stories

One Family’s Love of Aviation leads to Bequest

Robert and Joyce Walker's commitment to the Museum spanned over 40 years, beginning as Charter Members when we were the Pacific Northwest Aviation Historical Foundation (PNAHF).

During his exciting 35-year career with The Boeing Company, Mr. Walker worked on over a dozen planes, was one of 'the Incredibles' that made the historic 747 possible and worked in the old Red Barn at Boeing's Plant No.1, which he described as cold and dreary.

Thirty years later, Mr. Walker was one of the 11,000 Boeing employees who answered the call in 1981 when The Red Barn — now the largest artifact of PNAHF — needed funding to undergo renovations. The support of Mr. Walker and his colleagues gave The Red Barn new life and now it continues telling the stories of Seattle's aviation innovators — like Walker.

"When I would visit the Museum with my father, he would show me his name in the Red Barn donor book and tell me about his part in the founding of the Museum in the '80s," said Bryan Walker.

After he retired from The Boeing Company in 1984, Mr. Walker continued his pioneering work in Environmental Control Services for another 26 years. Mr. Walker passed on his love of aviation to his children, Lynette, Bryan and Craig. All three worked at The Boeing Company, and the second generation of Walkers maintained their family's membership at the Museum when their father was no longer able.

The Museum of Flight is honored to have received a gift from the estate of Robert and Joyce Walker in 2022 and to have been included in their final plans alongside those they cared about the most.

To learn more about making The Museum of Flight part of your estate plan, please contact Sarah Szabo, CFRE at 206-768-7199 or [email protected] .

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