Obituary

Longtime educator Richard Duncan dies

The former principal of Seminole High School had battled esophageal cancer for nine months. He was 57.

By CHRISTINA K. COSDON, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 22, 2003

CLEARWATER -- Richard Duncan and his wife were on a holiday in the North Carolina mountains last summer when he suddenly felt intense pain in his right side. A few days later, they were back in Clearwater, and the pain was much worse.

A doctor's diagnosis was shocking: Mr. Duncan was suffering from esophageal cancer, which had spread to his liver and other organs.

The longtime Pinellas County educator, who had retired just two years earlier as principal of Seminole High School, battled the cancer for nine months. He died Saturday (April 19, 2003) at home in the care of Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, his family at his side. He was 57.

Mr. Duncan was "extremely fit" when he noticed his first symptoms, said his wife, Holly Duncan, chief executive officer and president of the Morton Plant Mease Foundation.

"He worked out three to five days a week and was running in the Gasparilla (years ago) before it was a big race," said Mrs. Duncan. She said her husband never smoked or had gastric reflux, but that men in his family have had a history of cancer.

Mr. Duncan underwent massive chemotherapy treatments and was feeling well enough in November to participate in Dunedin's annual Art Harvest show, exhibiting his hand-crafted children's Adirondack chairs. Making them had been a longtime hobby.

Mr. Duncan also was known for his volunteer work at North Pinellas Humane Society in Clearwater, where he was a board member for years.

"You could count on him being out here almost every Sunday, matching people with dogs," said Rick Chaboudy, the shelter's executive director. "There are hundreds of dogs out there living in very good homes, thanks to Dick."

Mr. Duncan also worked on the Humane Society's fundraising efforts, animal rescues and improved relations with other animal agencies. As a result of his efforts, the county's Animal Services department now turns over to the Humane Society some dogs and cats that previously would have been euthanized, Chaboudy said.

Four years ago, Mr. Duncan adopted a 2-year-old flat-coated black retriever, and the dog became his constant companion. The family named him Shadow.

The same week Mr. Duncan was diagnosed with cancer, Shadow was diagnosed with cancer. They died within days of each other.

Mrs. Duncan recalled meeting her husband of 35 years when she was 10. She was walking with a friend in their hometown of Athens, Ohio.

"I went home and told my parents I met the man I was going to marry," she said. "I chased him for 11 years. I outlasted the competition.

"He was not a religious person, but he was a very spiritual person. He was not afraid of death, just concerned about those he was leaving behind and that he wouldn't get to see his grandchildren grow up."

Mr. Duncan earned a bachelor's degree from Ohio University and a master's in education from Miami (Ohio) University.

The Duncans moved to Pinellas in 1972, and his career as an educator included teaching posts at Madeira Beach Middle and Northeast, Pinellas Park and Countryside high schools. He was an assistant principal at East Lake High and then principal at Seminole High from 1992 to 2001. He was assigned a position at another school but chose to retire.

"He retired well-respected and highly regarded by his faculty and students," said Jane Gallucci, a member of the Pinellas County School Board. "He was a great guy, and he cared about kids."

In addition to his wife, survivors include daughter Whitney Duncan Robinson of Valdosta, Ga.; son Darby Hecht Duncan, Tampa; his mother, Ruth Stiffler Duncan, Athens, Ohio; sister Jerri Hogan, Fredericksburg, Pa.; and grandchildren Hannah Duncan and Hayden Duncan of Tampa.

Visitation is from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Moss-Feaster Funeral Home, 1320 Main St., Dunedin. A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan, 2165 NE Coachman Road, Clearwater. The family suggests that memorials be sent to the Richard Duncan Memorial "Top Dog, Top Cat" donor wall at the Humane Society of North Pinellas.

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