The founder may be gone, but his legacy lives on.
When it came to handling business, Reginald Walker always put family first.
The owner and operator of Walker’s Gymnastics & Dance in Lowell passed away on May 11 at his Lowell home, surrounded by his family. He was 86.
A loving husband, father and grandfather who was known to most as Reggie, Walker always greeted those who entered his Plain Street studio with a warm, engaging grin. To him, they were more than students and clients, they were family and friends.
“They all remember his welcoming smile and his generosity,” said Denise Walker, his daughter.
Born in St. Albans, N.Y., in 1937, Reginald Walker was a longtime resident of Lowell and a communicant of St. Margaret Church. In his early years, he attended Lowell Tech and graduated from Keith Academy. He went on to proudly serve in the U.S. Navy on the USS Guardian as a radio man.
Walker fielded the SOS call from the Italian luxury ocean liner Andrea Doria, which was sinking off the coast of Nantucket, after a collision with the MS Stockholm on July 26, 1956. He was the first to relay the distress call, helping rescue 1,660 passengers and crew.
Shifting into the gymnastics and dance field two decades later may have seemed puzzling to some at first glance. But in the end, it was all relative.
Walker forged the family business with Denise in 1978, building a successful operation from the ground up. It all began when she caught the gymnastics bug at an early age.
“Ever since I was a child, I had an itch,” said Denise Walker. “I wanted to go to the Olympics, and I fell in love with gymnastics, so I took that route. I had so much support from my family.”
Walker’s talents took her to the national stage, competing in the Olympic Trials in 1976, earning a spot on the team as an alternate. Her father was there following her every move, from countless road trips to Connecticut and beyond.
Gymnastics also allowed her to do extensive traveling competing with other teams overseas.
“At one point my sister was one of the top 10 gymnasts in the United States competing for Team USA,” said Rick Walker, her younger brother.
A seventh-grader at St. Margaret’s, Denise attended Catholic school in Connecticut at age 12. Following the Olympic Trials, she returned home her senior year, graduating from Lowell High in 1977. But after attending the University of New Hampshire for a year, Walker opted to return to the Mill City for an intriguing new opportunity.
“Dad always wanted to have a business,” said Denise. “I said, ‘You run the business, I’ll run the floor.’ And it went on from there.”
“That’s where the whole thing started,” said Reginald, Walker’s oldest son. “His dream, her talent. I got pulled in a couple years later.”
Daughter Janine Walsh was recruited to run the business side of the operations, while the older brother was brought in to help in the coaching department.
“As a family, we always made it work,” said Reginald. “We each had our jobs and complemented each other well, and when business was done, it was time for family.”
Now 45 years after first opening its doors, Walker’s Gymnastics & Dance continues to thrive.
“We’ve been a staple of Lowell,” said Reginald, 60. “We’ve trained thousands of kids. I’m at least third generation now. I have grandmother’s that say, ‘You coached me.’ ”
The father and son also helped make gymnastics history, creating the Bay State Classic. The tournament became only the second event to be held at the Tsongas Center when it first opened in 1998.
“It was cool,” said Reginald. “We hosted over 500 kids. It was a great event. It brought a lot of business into the city and was another dreamchild of my father. We brought it together to make it happen.”
Gymnastics remains the family business, and business is quite good.
“My father was a dreamer and an entrepreneur,” said Reginald. “Walker’s Gymnastics is probably one of the top six gymnastics schools in Massachusetts. There is a legacy there. It’s a very family-friendly operated business. We all did our part. There was the big guy, who we miss, his wife Ruby, myself and my sister Janine. We all did our roles. We complemented each other. Family business is family business, but we made it happen.”
The eldest statesmen, their father could often be found sitting prominently at the front entrance, which led directly into the spacious gym. In a fitting tribute, his funeral procession took a special detour taking the late owner past the gym one last time on the way to St. Joseph’s Cemetery.
Although he is no longer at his post, his memory remains. His son recently hung a framed picture of his father on the entrance wall, which reads “Welcome, Reginald Walker founder, 1978.”
“Now when I go to work, I kiss my palm, slap the wall and try to remember why I’m there,” said Reginald. “He had a good sendoff.”
“The business is still going, even though he’s passed,” said Denise. “And we have many, many memories.”
Christopher Hurley
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