By Jim Greene
David Walker (Det. Sgt. retired NYPD), who founded the annual Father’s Day Skyscraper Harlem Cycling Classic and who revived the sport of Double Dutch, passed away on Saturday night in St. Luke’s Hospital of kidney failure. Dave was 66 years old.
In 1973, Dave started a bicycle safety program for children. This bicycle safety program has become the Skyscraper, one of the largest cycling events in the country, often attracting world class, olympic cyclists. This year was the 35th Skyscraper Classic.
Also in 1973, aware that there were no intramural sports for girls in the schools, Dave held a Double Dutch demonstration at Harlem’s I.S. 10 for the NYC Board of Education. The Board of Ed loved it and from the late 1970s through the late 1980s, Double Dutch was an intramural sport in the NYC public schools, with the championships held in Lincoln Center. Today, the big event is the Holiday Double Dutch Classic at the Apollo Theatre which attracts teams from around the world. “Rhythm in the Ropes,” a documentary filmed at the 2004 Holiday Classic and shown on ESPN2, won the Emmy for most outstanding sports documentary.
A wake will be on Friday July 25 from 2 to 8pm at Unity Funeral Home at 2352 8th Ave. corner of 126th St. The funeral is on Saturday July 26 at 9:30 am at The Church of the Ascension 221 West 107th Street. Please join us in celebration of his life.