Former Walker Towing VP Bob Day Remembered

Friends remembered Robert “Bob” Day as hard-working and down-to-earth with a passion for golf and a devotion for bettering the lives of those in the river industry.

Day, 90, died October 20 at his home in Paducah, Ky. He served for many years as vice president of Walker Towing Corporation. He retired from day-to-day operations in 1994 when the company was sold to James Marine. Among Day’s accomplishments was moving Walker Boat Yard to its current location on Clark’s River Road.

Day was also instrumental in the early growth and development of the Paducah Propeller Club, serving two terms as president, from 1966 to 1967 and again from 1972 to 1973. He continued to be active on the golf tournament committee. Day received a lifetime achievement award from the club in 2023. The club announced that it is renaming the annual golf tournament in his memory, with the event now known as the Propeller Club of Paducah Bob Day Classic Golf Outing.

Caleb King, club president, said, “Bob was the consummate example of being a volunteer advocate for a purpose he believed in. I always appreciated his occasional phone calls to help guide me in my role with the Propeller Club. He was a demonstrated leader and mentor. I will miss Bob.”

During his first term as president of the Propeller Club, Day called a meeting with towing company executives and Corps of Engineers and Coast Guard officials to address serious delays at Ohio River Lock and Dam 52, just below Paducah. That meeting eventually led to the building of a 1,200-foot “temporary” lock chamber at 52 beginning in 1967 that served the industry until the locks and dam were taken offline with the opening of the Olmsted Locks and Dam in 2018.

Jean Stegmann also knew Day from the Propeller Club.

“He was one of a kind, very knowledgeable about the river industry and even stayed active with the industry after retirement,” she said. “I met him back in the late 70s, and he and Barbara became dear friends. He was always smiling, and I could count on getting a hug anytime I met him. He loved golfing and did a great job with the annual golf outing and will be missed.”

Day also served as a board member for the National River Academy in Helena, Ark. Beginning in 1975, he served on the board of the Paducah-McCracken County Riverport Authority, continuing his service for decades.

“On behalf of the community and our team members, we appreciate all of Bob’s hard work in making the riverport what it is today,” port executive director Tim Cahill said.

According to a 2012 profile by Jerry Tinkey that ran in The Waterways Journal, Day began his career with A.L. Mechling Barge Line aboard the mv. Willie Mayo in 1952, soon after graduating from high school in Golconda, Ill. He spent four years aboard the boat, serving as a deckhand, tankerman and mate and working primarily on the lower Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee rivers.

In 1956, two years after marrying his wife, Barbara, he took a job with the marine division of Texaco Oil Company. He was assigned to the mv. Bayou Barataria and gained engineroom experience on the boat, in addition to his deckhand and tankerman duties. In 1957, he left Texaco to work as mate and steersman for West Tennessee Towing on the mv. Lola H. Later he worked as a pilot, steersman and mate for Arrow Transportation before leaving to run harbor tugs for Walker Towing beginning in 1959.

“At that time, Walker’s primary marine assets consisted of three small harbor boats, a one-room office on South Third Street, some riverfront property, a small marine ways and some radar equipment,” Tinkey wrote. He added that Day was half of the office staff, with the other half being Mr. Charlie Walker. Day’s duties included working as boat dispatcher, crew dispatcher, operation manager and salesman. He also was tasked with broadening the business. As a result, he went out to the barges fleeted at Owen’s Island in Paducah, looked for those that needed top-water repairs and then called their owners to seek permission to move them to the yard for repairs. This grew business and also built trust and relationships with other companies.

Gail O’Connell worked with Day at Walker Boat Yard from 1974 to 1991.

“Bob Day was always a southern gentleman, always willing to help, and periodically he would email stories with a good moral,” she said. “Bob will be missed.”

J.R. Neckel, operator for Paducah River Service, said Day hired him for Walker Towing in 1982.

“In my early 20s, Bob gave me a chance,” he said. “He was just a very nice, well-liked man.”

He added that Day was always down to earth and known for his work ethic. The two men stayed in touch over the years, even after Day’s retirement.

“You wouldn’t know he was a VIP,” Neckel said

In addition to his work with the river industry, Day was a master Mason of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky and a member of Paducah Masonic Lodge 127, along with Twelve Oaks Baptist Church. He also served as a noble of the Mystic Shrine in Rizpah Temple and belonged to the Elks and Moose clubs. An avid golfer, he served 10 years on the board of directors of Rolling Hills Country Club. He also enjoyed playing gin rummy with his many friends.

Day is survived by his daughter, Penny Day Bane (Barry Schellenschlager), of Benton, Ky., two grandchildren, a great granddaughter and cousins. He was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Barbara Ann Day, sons Jimmy and Robert Day, and his mother, Lexie Day. A memorial service with visitation is planned for the spring at Milner & Orr Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Paducah, with burial at Oddfellows Cemetery in Golconda.