Cape Girardeau man leaves a legacy with new city park

William E. Walker III, or Bill to his friends, died at age 65 in December 2022. The Cape Girardeau resident lives on, however, in the memories of his friends and soon with the creation of a new city park.

Walker donated his family's 16-acre property at 85 E. Cape Rock Drive to the City of Cape Girardeau upon his passing. One condition was that it remains as a park in perpetuity.

"Bill Walker was a good friend. We played quite a bit of golf together," former Cape Girardeau Mayor Bob Fox said. "I heard from his attorney J. Fred Waltz, who we also play golf with some, that he was contemplating making a donation of that land and was thinking about the Missouri Department of Conservation. I talked to him about it and said it'd be a great place for a city park."

The Cape Girardeau City Council approved the creation of Walker Park during their meeting Monday, Dec. 4.

"I think it's good for any citizen to leave a legacy like that," Fox said. "It doesn't happen very often but it's great for the city and it's great we can name a park after his family."

William Walker III's property features a dense patch of forest. He wanted the area to remain a natural place for visitors to enjoy.Christopher Borro

The property lies on a hill overlooking the Mississippi River. It features a small clearing and a dense patch of forest.

Doug Gannon, the city's parks and recreation director, said the first thing his department will do is survey the land and apply property line markers so visitors know where the park ends and private property begins.

Afterward, he said the goal is to maintain the area.

"We're going to clean it up, get rid of the old brush, get rid of the houses and make it an area that people can enjoy sooner rather than later," Gannon said. "... One of the things we definitely want to do is create a nice picnic area out here for people to enjoy."

The parks and recreation department will add parking to where Walker's driveway used to be, and eventually build a shelter and hiking trails.

William Walker III

The existing structures, Walker's house and his parents' house, will need to be removed first. Gannon said the city's fire department will burn one of the property's houses in a controlled training fire. His own department will demolish the other one.

He hopes to have the buildings taken out by the spring and have the property ready for visitors by the summer.

"Any time we have a citizen who makes a donation like this, it speaks volumes about the integrity of people in the community who are willing to donate this for so many people to enjoy in the years to come," he said.