A "golden era" in Naparima's development followed the arrival of Rev. Victor B. Walls, and his long tenure as principal. Until his appointment, the missionaries who stood in as headmasters or principals of the college did not stay in that role for more than two or three years at a time. It was recognized that the growing school needed a dedicated long-term appointment, and Rev. Walls was the one chosen for the task. He came from a well-known family in the small and then isolated rural New Brunswick village of Blackville. He attended N.B. Teachers' Training College, then Dalhousie University (1921) and the Presbyterian Theological College in Halifax (1931). During the First World War (1914-1919), he served with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces in England, Belgium and France After leading Naparima College from 1924 to 1953, where he oversaw great changes and the maturing of the school, he continued to work as a minister in the Saint John and Miramichi regions of his home province until 1978. In 1975, he was awarded Trinidad & Tobago's Chaconia Medal for his contributions to education in the island. He was also active in the Red Cross, which Mrs. Walls, his missionary soulmate, was instrumental in bringing to Trinidad. The Walls's had a son, who returned to New Brunswick as a boy to attend boarding school at Mount Allison. Mrs. Walls passed away in New Brunswick in 1957. Rev. Walls subsequently married a Trinidadian lady, Verna E. Augustin. In 1984, Rev. Walls passed away in his home village of Blackville. The Walls Memorial House there has a small display in his memory. |
 Photo courtesy of Mrs. V. Walls |
