Baptist Health Paducah honors lead gift with naming of Walker Medical Park 1
Baptist Health Paducah today named one of its buildings Walker Medical Park 1, honoring long-time supporters Don and Eva Walker for their lead gift in a capital campaign.
Baptist Health Paducah today named one of its buildings Walker Medical Park 1, honoring long-time supporters Don and Eva Walker for their lead gift in a capital campaign.
The Walkers, recognized today in a ceremony, donated the gift to “Celebrating Miracles, Transforming Lives,” a $10 million comprehensive capital campaign announced in January by the Baptist Health Foundation Paducah.
The four-story office building adjacent to the hospital was named Doctors Office Building 1 when it opened in 1997. It houses physician offices, Baptist Health Urgent Care and the surgery waiting room.
“Eva and I believe in the future of Baptist Health and our community,” Walker said, “and we are humbled to be able to provide a gift to the campaign so they can continue providing excellent service.”
Over four decades, Walker said he has watched Baptist Health transform into a regional medical center with state-of-the-art equipment, modern facilities and highly-trained and skilled professionals. “We believe people want to go to a hospital that is local, provides high quality service and is convenient for their families,” he said.
Walker first joined the hospital board in 1978, when the Rev. Bill Cubine, then-pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church, asked him to serve. “I looked at it as an extension of my service to my church, but where the whole community was included,” he said.
He served as board chair many terms, the first in 1986-87. He became corporate board chair in 1996-98 and served on the compensation, quality and governance corporate committees. He remains board chair of the Baptist Health Foundation Paducah, which he helped start about 12 years ago.
Eva Walker had their children, Mike and Linda, at the hospital and later served in its Auxiliary. Her parents, the late Harold and Datha Lofton, helped raise money through Immanuel to start Western Baptist Hospital, which opened in 1953.
William A. Brown, West Regional Executive and Baptist Health Paducah president, said Walker’s professional skills from Apex Engineering and his compassion for others provided the perfect blend for a hospital leader.
“Don, with Eva’s support, has been much more to us than a faithful board member,” Brown said. “He helped lead efforts that made us efficient and forward-thinking in this ever-changing world of healthcare – all the while displaying a servant’s heart – to meet our mission of exemplifying our Christian heritage while we meet the health needs of those we are privileged to serve.”
Brown said the hospital is grateful for the Walkers’ long service and financial support. “We are honored to express our appreciation in this naming as a lasting reminder of their faithfulness to our mission,” he said.
For more information or to donate to the capital campaign, contact the Foundation at 270.575.2871 or visit SupportBaptistHealth.org/Paducah.