Gorham has a long history of volunteers in the sports programs. Beginning in the 1970’s, Pete Walker became the original “Voice of Gorham” and was an avid coach and referee. Walker’s daughter, Erin Spiller said, “My father has lived in the town of Gorham for all of his life, and we have spent our lives watching him at pretty much every ball field.”

Walker was recently diagnosed with an aggressive illness. With his faith, family and friends behind him, he is determined to fight the illness, and the Gorham Recreation Department is holding a softball tournament fundraiser on June 1-2 at Robie Field in support of him. Teams and individuals are encouraged to participate.

Walker spent over 32 years driving a tractor trailer truck for Shaws; choosing the night shift so he could spend his afternoons coaching. Gorham Recreation Director, Cindy Hazelton, who has known Walker since 1991, said, “All those nights he was driving gave him time to think about how to make recreation activities and youth sports better for all the kids in Gorham. I would often come into the office and have a voice mail from Pete on my phone.” She said he was always thinking of how to make the Gorham community better.

Walker is proud of his years as a truck driver. He said he could not have done it without the support of his high school sweetheart and wife of over 40 years Kathy, as well as his children Erin, Brett and Robbie. In those years, he logged over three million accident free miles. Spiller said of her dad, “He would drive his tractor trailer truck all night long, come home and get a few hours of sleep, then you would find him on the fields.”

Hazelton remembers Walker as a youth coach long before he had his own kids. She said, “Pete is the guy in town that would never let a single kid not be involved, regardless of their ability to play.” Walker led by example with positive encouragement and sportsmanship. Spiller shared, “I guess the thing I’d say most about my Dad is that for him it was about more than just the game, he taught kids how to be a winner on and off the field. He taught kids about life; you work hard, you respect each other, you respect yourself, but more importantly just have fun.”

When it came to being the original “Voice of Gorham,” Hazelton said Pete would run the camera himself. He would call the commentary of multiple sports and deliver them to be replayed on GOCAT. He started out as the voice for the JV and Varsity Basketball teams when his own children were just toddlers. Spiller remembers walking into the high school with her dad and looking for her Uncle Nick, Walker’s brother, who would help him film the games. As the years went on, Pete would film his children’s games as well. He now has five grandchildren (Michael, Lukas, Wyatt, Colton and Emma) who look forward to having him as their coach one day.

Spiller said much of her childhood was spent with her younger brothers following their dad around and learning to play sports. She said, “Dad never missed a field hockey game and I played better because of it. He would always tell us its not whether you win or lose, its how you play the game and carry your head high no mater what. I learned how to play fair and hard but most importantly I learned about life.”

She also spoke of her parents’ relationship with admiration. She said, “I’ve never seen anyone as devoted as my father is to my mother. They are an inspiration to the entire family.” Her parents eloped at the age of 20 (which had to have been at least a little scary for their Dad because their mother has seven brothers). Walker knew nothing about construction but he built the home he would share with his wife and children. “They literally built their lives together with their own hands,” Spiller said.

Pete was a coach of many different teams over the years, including the GHS Varsity Softball team. Most recently he coached his grandson Wyatt’s (Brett’s son) youth baseball team. For over 30 years he officiated many different sports including soccer, field hockey and basketball. He was a member of the Gorham Recreation Department Advisory Board which was a position appointed by the Town Council. Hazelton also shared, “Pete was the driving force behind the renovation and addition of the brick dugouts, concession stand, storage area and press box at Robie Field in the late 1990’s.”

For his years of dedication to volunteerism in his community, Pete was honored with the Citizen Volunteer of the Year award from the Maine Recreation and Parks Association in 2004. The criteria for the award embodies what Pete put into the Gorham community during his years as a coach, commentator and referee: Contributes to the well-being of recreation within the State of Maine; A community volunteer who supports the development and creation of recreation programs, facilities or services; Is not a paid employee of a department; Length of involvement at the local, multi-town, or state level; Diversity of involvement, contributions, and achievements; Letters of support from the community; Civic involvement; and Moral character.