It is with great sadness that I report the death of our former colleague and dear friend Andrew Walker. Andrew passed away suddenly on Sunday 30th October 2016 at his home in York, North Yorkshire where he had moved to a number of years ago.

A former student of the AA (1959 – 1962), Andrew was Head of Technical Studies for nearly thirty years, overseeing the progress and assessment of hundreds of technical projects at the rear of 36 Bedford Square. The location was by necessity as Andrew undertook this role from his wheelchair. Over the many years, Andrew and his team of TS staff and various administrative co-ordinators made the only accessible part of the AA buildings at that time the hub of academic activity and a warm and welcoming environment for technical tutorials, guidance and support. A tireless champion of inclusive design, Andrew created and launched the one-day-day-release course in Environmental Access in the early 1990s, the first course of its kind in the UK. The course welcomed many candidates at a time when access and the built environment were very much on the periphery of social conscience. Andrew never fore-fronted the rights of the disabled; for him this simply highlighted a minority status. With his energy and determination he sought to educate those who were ‘non-disabled’, the real minority in his mind.

After retirement, Andrew moved to Deal in Kent but retained ‘The Cottage’ in Regents Square which had been his London home for 44 years. In 2008 Andrew made the decision to return to his ‘northern roots’. Publically, Andrew was moving to York, the city where Constantine the Great was declared Emperor of Rome! Privately, Andrew was returning to a place where he felt most at home. But wherever he was, Andrew retained a deep interest in the AA School and especially in the work and progress of our students.

I was one of the administrators fortunate to work for and with Andrew for a number of years. With friends and colleagues, past and present, I remember a time of hard work but mostly a time of great fun and lots of laughter with Andrew, who had the sunniest outlook on the darkest, longest and busiest of days. Thank you Andrew from all of us for your friendship, kindness, the wonderful times and fantastic memories.

Belinda Flaherty

7th November 2016