Barbara White Walker
Born: London, England, February 28, 1937. Married: Paul David Walker, June 22, 1957. Died: Oro Valley, Arizona, March 5, 2023.
The daughter of William Lindsay White and Kathrine Klinkenberg White and granddaughter of William Allen White and Sallie Lindsay White, Barbara White was a London war orphan, born in 1937. There William Lindsay worked as a war correspondent for the North American Newspaper Association and Reader’s Digest. The Whites secured a flight from the war-torn England to Portugal.
The family lived in New York City where Barbara grew up. William Lindsay was a radio correspondent for CBS News, Kathrine was an editor for Time magazine and assistant curator for the Library of Congress. William Lindsay White told Barbara's story in the book A Journey for Margaret, which became a major motion picture. In 1941 Life magazine carried an article by the same name. She attended Nightingale-Bamford School and Stanford University.
In 1957 Barbara married Paul David Walker, a Stanford classmate. The wedding was covered in Life magazine. He went on to earn a doctoral degree in education at Columbia University. The Walkers moved to Emporia in 1972. After William Lindsay's passing in 1973, the role as editor and publisher of the Emporia Gazette shifted to Kathrine. After Kathrine’s passing in 1988, Barbara became the Gazette’s editor and David the publisher.
The family continues to operate the Emporia Gazette, which was purchased by Barbara’s grandparents, William Allen and Sallie White, in 1895. The Walker’s son Chris and daughter-in-law Ashley Knecht Walker continue to be the publisher and editor. Chris Walker arrived with his parents and siblings in Emporia in 1972. He began his work with the Gazette as a paper carrier for the at the age 10. He and Ashley earned bachelor's degrees from the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas. Chris became editor in 2000, then publisher, and joined by Ashley, with Barbara as senior editor, and David publisher emeritus.
In 2001 Barbara and Paul David Walker donated the family home to the State of Kansas to be operated as Red Rocks State Historic Site. Barbara White Walker passed away in Arizona on March 5, 2023.
Entry: Walker, Barbara White
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: September 2015
Date Modified: March 2023
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.
