David Brewster
Doug Walker, businessman, philanthropist, and avid outdoorsman, died in an apparent avalanche on New Year’s Eve. Like many, I cherished his friendship and lively company. One of his crusades put him at odds with his natural allies in the conservation movement. This was to advocate for greater public access to the wilderness, particularly for minorities.
Doug argued in speeches and a few articles that if the public is excluded (in name of protecting wilderness), public support for protecting wilderness is endangered. He took on the purists, but always with lots of evidence and good cheer in the controversy. Even so, my favorite topic of conversation with him was American history. Like many southerners, he had a strong appetite for history.