Work Hard, Be Loyal, and Do What's Right! // The Don Duncan Memorial Scholarship
"Work Hard, Be Loyal, and Do What’s Right!"
Robert Frost "The Road Not Taken"
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
As in the Robert Frost poem "The Road Not Taken", this is a story of a man who did take the "road less taken" and of the man who traveled it so well. A long, green and winding road, of building giant cotton pickers in Des Moines, Iowa to hundreds of tractors in Waterloo, Iowa. This is the legacy of Don Duncan who raised a family, served his community, and provided factory workers with the highest level of integrity, comfort, safety, and a caring commitment.
Don graduated from Monroe High School in 1952 and Drake University in 1956. He also had served his country proudly for two years from 1956 to 1958.
High school first brought out the sportsmanship and love of competition in this Iowa boy. He lettered in football, basketball, baseball, and track. This competitive spirit was a signal to all of us regarding his future leadership and teamwork. At Drake, he played football for the Bulldogs where he was co-captain of the team, president of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and the student council, and received a degree in physical education. He received the Iowa State Governors Award and the Double D Award in 1989, which recognizes former Drake athletes who have excelled in their chosen fields.
Don’s commitment to the local community became evident in his strong support of the Partners in Education Program, held in conjunction with the Waterloo School System. Don had a very simple motto: Work Hard, Be Loyal, and Do What’s Right! He also lived by the Golden Rule: treat people as you would want to be treated!
Don believed strongly in education. He would be pleased to know that people from all walks of life could be considered for this opportunity. He would be humbled to know that he could continue to have a presence in other’s lives and to help them improve themselves and to mature and maybe, just maybe, when they are able that they could "Pay It Forward".
We all can be thankful that Don chose the road less traveled for his life’s journey.