Duncan, Robert, 1985 Leon S. Peters Distinguished Service Award recipient
Item
Title
Duncan, Robert, 1985 Leon S. Peters Distinguished Service Award recipient
Description
Talks about growing up in Fresno, attending Fresno State, getting drafted in World War II and starting his ceramics business. He discusses becoming involved in the community, working with the Fresno Metropolitan Museum and the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame, Fresno State football and other organizations and receiving the Leon S. Peters Distinguished Service Award. He talks about his friendship with Leon S. Peters, his failures in the restaurant business and working to get the Save Mart Center built.
Creator
Duncan, Robert
Mehas, Dr. Peter G.
Relation
Leon S. Peters Legacy Collection
Coverage
Fresno, California
Date
2000
Format
Microsoft word 2003 document, 7 pages
Identifier
SCMS_lspl_00022
extracted text
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Robert Duncan, 1985, Leon S. Peters recipient. His name is
synonymous with philanthropy, excellence in business, and everybody knows Bob Duncan
as Mr. Bulldog. It's a reputation dearly earned. We are indeed honored to have for
Leon S. Peters archive, Bob with us today. Bob, what was it like? You're a life-long
Fresnan, grew up in Fresno, graduated from Fresno High School, Fresno State, tell us
about you growing up in Fresno.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, things were a lot different. [Laughter] Growing up when I
grew up. I was born in '21. So I was at Fresno High and graduated in 1940, and at
that time, of course, things were starting to happen in Europe. And of course then,
the Japanese attacked and the--then when I graduated from high school, I immediately
went on to Fresno State College, it was the Fresno State College then. It wasn't a
university, and of course it was at the old campus, which is now the--the J--you
know, Junior College Campus. And I was there for 2 years and then was drafted into
the service. And during that time, my mom got involved in ceramics as a hobby. It
wasn't really a hobby that was available to everybody at that time, but her interest
was such that through an aunt in southern California who worked in a ceramic factory
down there, she got exposed to where she could buy materials and things of that
sort, and she'd always been an artist and did china painting in her younger years,
and so it was kind of a natural turn to go on into the--into ceramics. Well any
rate, then the war came. I got drafted and spent three and a half years in the
service. And during that time, my mom played with the hobby and then started
teaching. In fact, most of her customers were wives of the servicemen, of the--in
town at Hammer Field, because their husbands were all in the service and overseas,
and they were in Hammer Field, and had nothing--you know, a lot, a lot of time on
their hands. And so, she started having them come by the house and offered to let
them make things and teach them what she knew about ceramics at that time. And she
used our garage and our backyard to do that, the backyard during the summertime, of
course, under the trees was a pretty decent place to do it. So, at any rate, that
was kind of the beginning of the--of our involvement in ceramics. And when I got out
of the service and came home, I got out of the service, I got home at 9 o'clock one
night and started in at 6 AM the next morning in the ceramic business 'cause my mom
needed help. She was really--by that time, we--my dad had built a studio out on
Blackstone Avenue, that was when Blackstone was still two lanes and bordered by fig
trees and grape, grapevines. And so we built a studio joining a home out there, a
one-room home. And like I said, when I got out and got home, the only place I had to
sleep was a--was an army cot in the garage. So I didn't get out of the service after
all, [laughter] just kind of a continuation. And so I slept in the garage--or
stayed. That was my place, in the garage for, for well, 6 months while I actually
built a--with the aid of my dad, built a bedroom under the--on to their little home,
and eventually moved into that. But any rate, then the--then ceramics is--it started
to grow, the interest started growing. We did teaching, of course, again. I intended
to go back and get my degree at--in business at the--at that time at the university.
And--but mom needed help so badly that she asked me to stick around, this might just
be a fad and they'd go away in a year's time. So please help her out at least for
that year. And of course, the year ended up being forever.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But you since been granted an honorary doctorate by your
university->> Robert Duncan: Well, that's true.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So we call you Dr. Duncan. So literally, Duncan Enterprise,
which is known worldwide, literally developed out of a backyard and a garage.
>> Robert Duncan: It sure did.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
As well—-
>> Robert Duncan: That was its beginning.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How do you account for this--the tremendous success? I can
recall traveling in Europe and I looked into some--Duncan Enterprise Fresno--some
ceramic piece. Was it timing? Was it--what was it that has made the Duncan
Enterprise as a successful->> Robert Duncan: Well, a lot of it was timing, but again, we were blessed in the
sense that--you know, an artist normally isn't a good business person. I wasn't an
artist. I wasn't blessed with any art ability. So my mom was the artist. She handled
that end of it. I handle--I handled the business end of it. And my brother, younger
brother, came and joined the business, and he handled the kind of the manufacturing
end of it. He was interested in that part. So we made a great combination. And in so
doing, we had an advantage over most of our competition because our competition in
those days was growing in the same way we were, because the hobby was so young. And
so this gave us a combination, really a family combination that permitted us to go
from a retail operation into a wholesale distribution nationwide, and then
eventually, because of a fire in 1953 that we burned down totally at--on Blackstone,
we rebuilt and started the manufacturing end of it because that was the growth of
the business, you know, is to go from a retail to a wholesaler, to a--to the
manufacturing. And then as we got into manufacturing, I got involved in the business
end in the--and traveling to the various ceramic hobby shows around the country, and
with that, had an opportunity to form the--to be instrumental of that at any rate
and forming the National Ceramic Manufacturers Association, which I was the first
president and continued for a three-year period, and then continued on with the
association then for another 30 years, really, in serving on all types of committees
and things of that sort. But at any rate, that gave us an exposure and the hobby was
so popular that it--that internationally, there became an interest in it, and again,
as--well, as of today, we sell our products now in 42 foreign countries, you know.
So we're well known in the ceramic hobby business.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Of course, the Leon S. Peters award not only stands for
excellence in business which Bob Duncan and Duncan Enterprise and your brother and
your family are noted for, but another big piece of the Leon Peters award, a big,
big piece of it, is community service, community not only in philanthropy, but
community involvement. And without patronizing you, everybody knows that Bob Duncan
gives and gives and gives not just financially, whether it's the--as I recall, the
Duncan Enterprise was the single biggest contributor to the Fresno State Football
Stadium. You were responsible for getting us involved in the metropolitan museum
from the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame, and go through a whole litany of things. But
how, Bob--how did you get involved with community activities and continue to be
involved for such a long, long time. Because the bottom line in terms of business is
it--it's--in profit, it doesn't translate itself to that. What motivated you to get
community involved?
>> Robert Duncan: Well, you'll find this interesting. I think the thing that
motivated me most was when I started traveling and establishing distributorships and
pursuing, you know, our business in ceramics. People said, well, you know, "Where
the hell is Fresno?"
[ Laughter ]
>>Dr. Pete Peters: Yeah
>> Robert Duncan: And Fresno was just--did not have much recognition, you know, in
the nation. And I guess, being born and raised here, you just start feeling that,
darn it, you know, there needs to be something done to increase the name of Fresno
and some people think it's kind of probably silly, but I decided that through the
university, which I--I've always been a lover of sports. Never been, never been a
participant to any degree, but I've been a lover of sports. And so I saw Fresno
State struggling as a small sports program and felt that--and again, Fresno did not
have any pride in itself. They had nothing to take any pride to associate with, and
I thought that, that there was no reason why we couldn't build athletic teams at
Fresno State that would be able to compete nationwide, actually on that level, and
that there would be no better way to spread the word about Fresno than through
Fresno State athletics, and that athletics with the university, the fact that it was
then before the university, it was still Fresno State College, that athletics would
give it a name and give the people who've--here in town, something to, to--some
pride to associate with, and say, you know, that that's our Bulldogs--you know,
those are our Bulldog teams that are out there competing and they're winning games
against other named universities, and it--I thought it was a pride factor that we
needed most of all, and I think that over the years, that that's proven itself out
very well.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, how do you feel now from the old Ratcliffe Stadium
days, and now looking at Bulldog stadium which you help build, and the national
recognition that the university has gotten, the old saying you've come a long, long
ways, certainly, there must be a sense of pride with you to notice that Fresno State
University, I know you served as chairman of the Bulldog Foundation for an
unprecedented 3 years, you were recognized by the NCAA as a national contributor and
supporter of collegiate athletics. I imagine there's a tremendous amount of pride
and feeling that you and others have fulfilled that vision of making Fresno State
what many would consider assuming a national power.
>> Robert Duncan: I'm glad you said you and others because it's not been done alone.
It's been, you know, it's been a tremendous group of people who've really gotten
behind it all and done a lot, and I've certainly got more than my share of attention
because of it. But it was the fact that it was a, you know a group effort certainly,
and you know that very well that nothing gets done by any one individual. But I-yeah, I do feel a lot of pride in it. I really do. And I think that it--and I see
as--well, and there's no end to it. I mean, it's continuing, and with the, the you
know, with the new football coach, hey, he's doing a fantastic job of again, getting
this--you know, Coach Sweeney came into town and awakened the sleeping giant, and
Pat has come along and picked that up and he is making those teams out there roar so
loud that they're being heard now all over the country.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Most people, Bob, who were fortunate to
would be the first to say that you're probably one of the most
and do not seek the limelight, but the limelight seems to seek
to Bob Duncan to be awarded--Lew Eaton was the first recipient
award in 1984, and shortly thereafter, in 1985, Bob Duncan was
What did it mean to you personally?
have you as a friend
modest individuals
you. What did it mean
of the Leon S. Peters
the second recipient.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, it was probably the greatest thing that had ever happened to
me for sure, that that type of recognition from the two men that both Leon and Lew,
were the two men that in my, you know, feelings were the--the two that had done the
most for this city and had made such great contributions and been so instrumental in
so many different ways of seeing the--and they were both, and of course, very much
involved also in the building of that stadium. And so to be chosen that early on was
really a real pride. And of course, it was--back in those days, it was a total
surprise and then to find that my son was the one who'd, who’d gone to the trouble
of nominating me and getting other back up people, you know->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, it was just a great, great experience, and one I'll never
forget. And I hope that the others that have come along too have--and I'm sure they
have experienced the same type of feeling about it.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Not only did you know Leon well and worked with Leon, but he
considered you a friend and you considered him a friend.
>> Robert Duncan: Oh Gosh yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: What was that relationship like with Leon? When did you first
sort of meet Leon and->> Robert Duncan: Well, it came in through the chamber of commerce. It came just-and then I'd heard that--and this is kind of funny, but I'd heard that Leon was at
one time, had tried to join the Sunnyside Country Club, and back in those days, the
Armenian Community was not--it was not acceptable as a--and man, I just--that just
bothered me so much, and--well, for a guy that I respected and put on a pedestal
above almost anybody else in the community, it just showed that there were so many
things that needed to be done in this community, and needed to be changed in all
that. And I was, you know--had an opportunity->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
I heard about--
>> Robert Duncan: —-to help. And I was blessed with--because of my family support
and because of the business doing well and all that, I was blessed with the time and
finances and many cases where I could help out and help to make some changes, you
know.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You've had many, many successes and you've been blessed in
many ways with a good family->> Robert Duncan: Very much so.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And a superb reputation. But all business people and all
athletes have their setbacks. You experienced in the restaurant business.
>> Robert Duncan: Oh, boy.
[ Laughter ]
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Can you comment just briefly upon that because sometimes
people see people who are so successful and they say, "Gee, they'd never had any of
the setbacks that we've had." And you've had your share of struggle->> Robert Duncan: Oh yes, yes indeed.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: --and humbleness without bringing up a sore subject, but I
think it's important to->> Robert Duncan: Oh, no, it isn't really a sore subject. It's a--it was a
disappointment, you know, but it was one of those, you know--one of those, you know-and we've all suffered disappointments, probably many times in our lifetime. But I
felt, well, my primary purpose of that restaurant was to make it a sports
restaurant, and I thought it would be a great tool for recruiting players when they
just come into town and see the history of the various Fresno players and their
backgrounds and--and all, and I thought that that would be a real contribution to
the university, and I thought at the same time that it would serve also to--it would
give me another exposure to a totally different type of business. But I thought that
I could do it by not getting personally that involved on a day to day basis and hire
other people to do it, and I wasn't successful--that. But I mean, it just--maybe it
was a little bit before its time too. Maybe, maybe I was, you know, trying to->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
You were ahead of your time
>> Robert Duncan: Yeah, rush in to something there that it wasn't ready for me
anyway. And so it didn't turn out to be--but for several years, it served its
purpose and unfortunately and just financially, it wasn't some--one of those things
that I could continue to support-[ Laughter ]
[ Simultaneous Talking ]
>> Robert Duncan: So, that wasn't a moneymaker, it was a money loser.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: If--there are a lot of young people today starting off in the
community, going into business, and you've had the benefit of experience and wisdom,
what would you advise in young people starting off today that aspire to be
successful business people? What advice would you give them?
>> Robert Duncan: I see today as probably an opportunity that is out there for
almost every young person if they're willing to make their--some sacrifices up front
and devote and be willing to spend the time. And I think back when Dick and I were
working at the business and we were--we had very little capital in those days to
put--well, in fact, the only thing we were putting back into the business, what the
business was earning. So we settled for a very minimum income and we worked--well,
in fact, we worked on two shifts. We kept changing off, but I'd work the day 12 hour
shift, and he'd work the night 12 hour shift, and then we'd change off and I'd work
the night shift and he'd work the day shift. And that was to maximize the use of the
materials that we did have and the equipment that we had until we could get more
equipment. And I just think that, you know, we went for many--actually, many years
without a vacation or anything else in those early days because that was a sacrifice
that you had to make if you're going to be prepared to take advantage of every
opportunity that came along. You had to be--you had to have some capital, you had to
be financially sound in order to take the--because many times, we took risks, of
course. And so you had to prepared to pay the price to do that. And I think too many
young people today look to moving right in on the upper level and starting out as
the boss or starting out as the--at least at a level that where maybe they're too
concerned initially at how many weeks of vacation are they going to get, and how
many days--how many holidays are they going to be able to get off and how much, you
know--what are the other fringe benefits and all that. Not that those things aren't
all important, obviously, but I think that the majority make it possible for a-those who are willing to make the sacrifice to get ahead so--I mean, to move in
there and move in and out and ahead of everybody else simply because they're willing
to pay the price now and then later on, the benefits are there and, boy, and I'm a
good example of that. I mean, the early sacrifices that we made are the things that
paid off for us and let us go out in a competitive field because we had 80
manufacturers in the National Ceramic Manufacturers Association that we were
competing with, and we were able to go out and beat them hands down, and truly, it
was because we were willing to pay the price to do it.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And take the risk.
>> Robert Duncan: Yeah, and take the risk.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: In your vantage point now, and closing with this, what do you
see the future of Fresno? You've--born here and you've seen Fresno grow
tremendously. You've been involved with every aspect of the community. What does the
future hold for Fresno?
>> Robert Duncan: I think over the last--I've really been encouraged over the last 5
or 6--oh gosh, I guess it's been 6 years when I was asked to join the Fresno
Business Council. And I think the fact that 125 members of that business council who
represent certainly a cross section of really all the businesses in Fresno, and most
of the very successful ones. And the fact that those 125 leaders of those businesses
had been willing to come together and say, "We're here for one reason only, and
that's to improve this community for the benefit of all." That, that encourages me
more than anything else that could have happened. Because a combined input from
those people, as well as the chamber of commerce and the--well, so many of the other
things now are happening. I mean, gosh, they just--and there's been spinoffs from
getting that many people to sit down together and talk about the, you know, the
problems Fresno is facing, the population growth here, and the lower earning levels
and things, that for them to sit down and actually all come together and be willing
to take the time to do it. That kind of brain power is going to make Fresno a much,
much better place in the future, I think, and it's going to help solve a lot of the
problems that we face and have been facing.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The average person would have said, "Gee, I paid my dues,
I've committed to the community." But you're not the average person. You and Ed
Kashian, when we speak of the future of Fresno, are co-chairing an enormous event
project along with Tony Coelho, the Event Center, an incredible, incredible
undertaking that grows daily. So we'll have this for years to come when they read
it. Just quickly, tell us about the Event Center and what that means to the
community and to the university.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, I'm the little guy on that team, I'll tell you for sure. But
with Ed and his knowledge and his--and I've--you know, and I've been, of course,
having to--being directly working with him on this project, he was avail--he was
able to get us Tony Coelho to participate on this, and Tony is totally committed to
it. And again, Dr. John Welty has been a tremendous president for the university, I
think. Well, you've seen that over the--certainly, the last->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Absolutely.
>> Robert Duncan: What is he now--been close to 10 years?
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Close to 10 years.
>> Robert Duncan: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah.
>> Robert Duncan: And his contributions, even though he's gone through some periods
of time where he's been criticized one way or the other and all that, but hey, there
is nobody that could work harder who has spent more hours in this and has been more
free with his support of--and got involved in the community in so many different
ways too, and has opened the university house to affairs that he is, you know, he
and his wife are--you know, I think they use it 3 times a week for, you know, for
the benefit of the university and the community and all. Anyway, that's getting away
from your question. But with that combined help, I think that--I think what the
team, the national team that has been put together now, and the people that—-it’s
become an immense project, far beyond I think anything that we initially started out
with. It's tended to grow and expand. But in so doing, it's also opened the door
for, for it to all happen and to--and the national team is the one who they are
going to be looking to bring in substantial big contributions to Fresno. That Fresno
would have never, never had any other way at all.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
Um-hmm
>> Robert Duncan And I'm thinking of nat--you know, of large corporate, corporate
deals that are, you know, capable of giving these dollars, but they had to have the
right reasons, and they had to have the right way of being recognized for them, and
by naming opportunities and things of that sort, and it had to be far more than just
a basketball arena. And the development of that western wing now, and all of the
things that are going to be encompassed in that have just opened the eyes and opened
the door for just--I think it--I think it's going to happen. I think we're going to
be able to pull it off, but only because we have other people on there that are just
willing to devote their time and effort to it and make it happen.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Is there anything that I didn't ask that you'd like to add
for [inaudible]->> Robert Duncan: No, you've given him more time to talk than->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, let me just say this, and not engaging in puffery is we
look at Leon Peters and what the award stands for, and we look at this community.
Certainly, Leon would be honored, that Bob Duncan was the recipient of an award
which stands in his name. So on behalf of the chamber and the Valley Business
Conference Planning Committee, Bob, I congratulate you for a lifetime of community
service and it's been an honor to have you as a friend as well.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, thank you very much.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good.
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
synonymous with philanthropy, excellence in business, and everybody knows Bob Duncan
as Mr. Bulldog. It's a reputation dearly earned. We are indeed honored to have for
Leon S. Peters archive, Bob with us today. Bob, what was it like? You're a life-long
Fresnan, grew up in Fresno, graduated from Fresno High School, Fresno State, tell us
about you growing up in Fresno.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, things were a lot different. [Laughter] Growing up when I
grew up. I was born in '21. So I was at Fresno High and graduated in 1940, and at
that time, of course, things were starting to happen in Europe. And of course then,
the Japanese attacked and the--then when I graduated from high school, I immediately
went on to Fresno State College, it was the Fresno State College then. It wasn't a
university, and of course it was at the old campus, which is now the--the J--you
know, Junior College Campus. And I was there for 2 years and then was drafted into
the service. And during that time, my mom got involved in ceramics as a hobby. It
wasn't really a hobby that was available to everybody at that time, but her interest
was such that through an aunt in southern California who worked in a ceramic factory
down there, she got exposed to where she could buy materials and things of that
sort, and she'd always been an artist and did china painting in her younger years,
and so it was kind of a natural turn to go on into the--into ceramics. Well any
rate, then the war came. I got drafted and spent three and a half years in the
service. And during that time, my mom played with the hobby and then started
teaching. In fact, most of her customers were wives of the servicemen, of the--in
town at Hammer Field, because their husbands were all in the service and overseas,
and they were in Hammer Field, and had nothing--you know, a lot, a lot of time on
their hands. And so, she started having them come by the house and offered to let
them make things and teach them what she knew about ceramics at that time. And she
used our garage and our backyard to do that, the backyard during the summertime, of
course, under the trees was a pretty decent place to do it. So, at any rate, that
was kind of the beginning of the--of our involvement in ceramics. And when I got out
of the service and came home, I got out of the service, I got home at 9 o'clock one
night and started in at 6 AM the next morning in the ceramic business 'cause my mom
needed help. She was really--by that time, we--my dad had built a studio out on
Blackstone Avenue, that was when Blackstone was still two lanes and bordered by fig
trees and grape, grapevines. And so we built a studio joining a home out there, a
one-room home. And like I said, when I got out and got home, the only place I had to
sleep was a--was an army cot in the garage. So I didn't get out of the service after
all, [laughter] just kind of a continuation. And so I slept in the garage--or
stayed. That was my place, in the garage for, for well, 6 months while I actually
built a--with the aid of my dad, built a bedroom under the--on to their little home,
and eventually moved into that. But any rate, then the--then ceramics is--it started
to grow, the interest started growing. We did teaching, of course, again. I intended
to go back and get my degree at--in business at the--at that time at the university.
And--but mom needed help so badly that she asked me to stick around, this might just
be a fad and they'd go away in a year's time. So please help her out at least for
that year. And of course, the year ended up being forever.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But you since been granted an honorary doctorate by your
university->> Robert Duncan: Well, that's true.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So we call you Dr. Duncan. So literally, Duncan Enterprise,
which is known worldwide, literally developed out of a backyard and a garage.
>> Robert Duncan: It sure did.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
As well—-
>> Robert Duncan: That was its beginning.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How do you account for this--the tremendous success? I can
recall traveling in Europe and I looked into some--Duncan Enterprise Fresno--some
ceramic piece. Was it timing? Was it--what was it that has made the Duncan
Enterprise as a successful->> Robert Duncan: Well, a lot of it was timing, but again, we were blessed in the
sense that--you know, an artist normally isn't a good business person. I wasn't an
artist. I wasn't blessed with any art ability. So my mom was the artist. She handled
that end of it. I handle--I handled the business end of it. And my brother, younger
brother, came and joined the business, and he handled the kind of the manufacturing
end of it. He was interested in that part. So we made a great combination. And in so
doing, we had an advantage over most of our competition because our competition in
those days was growing in the same way we were, because the hobby was so young. And
so this gave us a combination, really a family combination that permitted us to go
from a retail operation into a wholesale distribution nationwide, and then
eventually, because of a fire in 1953 that we burned down totally at--on Blackstone,
we rebuilt and started the manufacturing end of it because that was the growth of
the business, you know, is to go from a retail to a wholesaler, to a--to the
manufacturing. And then as we got into manufacturing, I got involved in the business
end in the--and traveling to the various ceramic hobby shows around the country, and
with that, had an opportunity to form the--to be instrumental of that at any rate
and forming the National Ceramic Manufacturers Association, which I was the first
president and continued for a three-year period, and then continued on with the
association then for another 30 years, really, in serving on all types of committees
and things of that sort. But at any rate, that gave us an exposure and the hobby was
so popular that it--that internationally, there became an interest in it, and again,
as--well, as of today, we sell our products now in 42 foreign countries, you know.
So we're well known in the ceramic hobby business.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Of course, the Leon S. Peters award not only stands for
excellence in business which Bob Duncan and Duncan Enterprise and your brother and
your family are noted for, but another big piece of the Leon Peters award, a big,
big piece of it, is community service, community not only in philanthropy, but
community involvement. And without patronizing you, everybody knows that Bob Duncan
gives and gives and gives not just financially, whether it's the--as I recall, the
Duncan Enterprise was the single biggest contributor to the Fresno State Football
Stadium. You were responsible for getting us involved in the metropolitan museum
from the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame, and go through a whole litany of things. But
how, Bob--how did you get involved with community activities and continue to be
involved for such a long, long time. Because the bottom line in terms of business is
it--it's--in profit, it doesn't translate itself to that. What motivated you to get
community involved?
>> Robert Duncan: Well, you'll find this interesting. I think the thing that
motivated me most was when I started traveling and establishing distributorships and
pursuing, you know, our business in ceramics. People said, well, you know, "Where
the hell is Fresno?"
[ Laughter ]
>>Dr. Pete Peters: Yeah
>> Robert Duncan: And Fresno was just--did not have much recognition, you know, in
the nation. And I guess, being born and raised here, you just start feeling that,
darn it, you know, there needs to be something done to increase the name of Fresno
and some people think it's kind of probably silly, but I decided that through the
university, which I--I've always been a lover of sports. Never been, never been a
participant to any degree, but I've been a lover of sports. And so I saw Fresno
State struggling as a small sports program and felt that--and again, Fresno did not
have any pride in itself. They had nothing to take any pride to associate with, and
I thought that, that there was no reason why we couldn't build athletic teams at
Fresno State that would be able to compete nationwide, actually on that level, and
that there would be no better way to spread the word about Fresno than through
Fresno State athletics, and that athletics with the university, the fact that it was
then before the university, it was still Fresno State College, that athletics would
give it a name and give the people who've--here in town, something to, to--some
pride to associate with, and say, you know, that that's our Bulldogs--you know,
those are our Bulldog teams that are out there competing and they're winning games
against other named universities, and it--I thought it was a pride factor that we
needed most of all, and I think that over the years, that that's proven itself out
very well.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, how do you feel now from the old Ratcliffe Stadium
days, and now looking at Bulldog stadium which you help build, and the national
recognition that the university has gotten, the old saying you've come a long, long
ways, certainly, there must be a sense of pride with you to notice that Fresno State
University, I know you served as chairman of the Bulldog Foundation for an
unprecedented 3 years, you were recognized by the NCAA as a national contributor and
supporter of collegiate athletics. I imagine there's a tremendous amount of pride
and feeling that you and others have fulfilled that vision of making Fresno State
what many would consider assuming a national power.
>> Robert Duncan: I'm glad you said you and others because it's not been done alone.
It's been, you know, it's been a tremendous group of people who've really gotten
behind it all and done a lot, and I've certainly got more than my share of attention
because of it. But it was the fact that it was a, you know a group effort certainly,
and you know that very well that nothing gets done by any one individual. But I-yeah, I do feel a lot of pride in it. I really do. And I think that it--and I see
as--well, and there's no end to it. I mean, it's continuing, and with the, the you
know, with the new football coach, hey, he's doing a fantastic job of again, getting
this--you know, Coach Sweeney came into town and awakened the sleeping giant, and
Pat has come along and picked that up and he is making those teams out there roar so
loud that they're being heard now all over the country.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Most people, Bob, who were fortunate to
would be the first to say that you're probably one of the most
and do not seek the limelight, but the limelight seems to seek
to Bob Duncan to be awarded--Lew Eaton was the first recipient
award in 1984, and shortly thereafter, in 1985, Bob Duncan was
What did it mean to you personally?
have you as a friend
modest individuals
you. What did it mean
of the Leon S. Peters
the second recipient.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, it was probably the greatest thing that had ever happened to
me for sure, that that type of recognition from the two men that both Leon and Lew,
were the two men that in my, you know, feelings were the--the two that had done the
most for this city and had made such great contributions and been so instrumental in
so many different ways of seeing the--and they were both, and of course, very much
involved also in the building of that stadium. And so to be chosen that early on was
really a real pride. And of course, it was--back in those days, it was a total
surprise and then to find that my son was the one who'd, who’d gone to the trouble
of nominating me and getting other back up people, you know->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, it was just a great, great experience, and one I'll never
forget. And I hope that the others that have come along too have--and I'm sure they
have experienced the same type of feeling about it.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Not only did you know Leon well and worked with Leon, but he
considered you a friend and you considered him a friend.
>> Robert Duncan: Oh Gosh yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: What was that relationship like with Leon? When did you first
sort of meet Leon and->> Robert Duncan: Well, it came in through the chamber of commerce. It came just-and then I'd heard that--and this is kind of funny, but I'd heard that Leon was at
one time, had tried to join the Sunnyside Country Club, and back in those days, the
Armenian Community was not--it was not acceptable as a--and man, I just--that just
bothered me so much, and--well, for a guy that I respected and put on a pedestal
above almost anybody else in the community, it just showed that there were so many
things that needed to be done in this community, and needed to be changed in all
that. And I was, you know--had an opportunity->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
I heard about--
>> Robert Duncan: —-to help. And I was blessed with--because of my family support
and because of the business doing well and all that, I was blessed with the time and
finances and many cases where I could help out and help to make some changes, you
know.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You've had many, many successes and you've been blessed in
many ways with a good family->> Robert Duncan: Very much so.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And a superb reputation. But all business people and all
athletes have their setbacks. You experienced in the restaurant business.
>> Robert Duncan: Oh, boy.
[ Laughter ]
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Can you comment just briefly upon that because sometimes
people see people who are so successful and they say, "Gee, they'd never had any of
the setbacks that we've had." And you've had your share of struggle->> Robert Duncan: Oh yes, yes indeed.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: --and humbleness without bringing up a sore subject, but I
think it's important to->> Robert Duncan: Oh, no, it isn't really a sore subject. It's a--it was a
disappointment, you know, but it was one of those, you know--one of those, you know-and we've all suffered disappointments, probably many times in our lifetime. But I
felt, well, my primary purpose of that restaurant was to make it a sports
restaurant, and I thought it would be a great tool for recruiting players when they
just come into town and see the history of the various Fresno players and their
backgrounds and--and all, and I thought that that would be a real contribution to
the university, and I thought at the same time that it would serve also to--it would
give me another exposure to a totally different type of business. But I thought that
I could do it by not getting personally that involved on a day to day basis and hire
other people to do it, and I wasn't successful--that. But I mean, it just--maybe it
was a little bit before its time too. Maybe, maybe I was, you know, trying to->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
You were ahead of your time
>> Robert Duncan: Yeah, rush in to something there that it wasn't ready for me
anyway. And so it didn't turn out to be--but for several years, it served its
purpose and unfortunately and just financially, it wasn't some--one of those things
that I could continue to support-[ Laughter ]
[ Simultaneous Talking ]
>> Robert Duncan: So, that wasn't a moneymaker, it was a money loser.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: If--there are a lot of young people today starting off in the
community, going into business, and you've had the benefit of experience and wisdom,
what would you advise in young people starting off today that aspire to be
successful business people? What advice would you give them?
>> Robert Duncan: I see today as probably an opportunity that is out there for
almost every young person if they're willing to make their--some sacrifices up front
and devote and be willing to spend the time. And I think back when Dick and I were
working at the business and we were--we had very little capital in those days to
put--well, in fact, the only thing we were putting back into the business, what the
business was earning. So we settled for a very minimum income and we worked--well,
in fact, we worked on two shifts. We kept changing off, but I'd work the day 12 hour
shift, and he'd work the night 12 hour shift, and then we'd change off and I'd work
the night shift and he'd work the day shift. And that was to maximize the use of the
materials that we did have and the equipment that we had until we could get more
equipment. And I just think that, you know, we went for many--actually, many years
without a vacation or anything else in those early days because that was a sacrifice
that you had to make if you're going to be prepared to take advantage of every
opportunity that came along. You had to be--you had to have some capital, you had to
be financially sound in order to take the--because many times, we took risks, of
course. And so you had to prepared to pay the price to do that. And I think too many
young people today look to moving right in on the upper level and starting out as
the boss or starting out as the--at least at a level that where maybe they're too
concerned initially at how many weeks of vacation are they going to get, and how
many days--how many holidays are they going to be able to get off and how much, you
know--what are the other fringe benefits and all that. Not that those things aren't
all important, obviously, but I think that the majority make it possible for a-those who are willing to make the sacrifice to get ahead so--I mean, to move in
there and move in and out and ahead of everybody else simply because they're willing
to pay the price now and then later on, the benefits are there and, boy, and I'm a
good example of that. I mean, the early sacrifices that we made are the things that
paid off for us and let us go out in a competitive field because we had 80
manufacturers in the National Ceramic Manufacturers Association that we were
competing with, and we were able to go out and beat them hands down, and truly, it
was because we were willing to pay the price to do it.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And take the risk.
>> Robert Duncan: Yeah, and take the risk.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: In your vantage point now, and closing with this, what do you
see the future of Fresno? You've--born here and you've seen Fresno grow
tremendously. You've been involved with every aspect of the community. What does the
future hold for Fresno?
>> Robert Duncan: I think over the last--I've really been encouraged over the last 5
or 6--oh gosh, I guess it's been 6 years when I was asked to join the Fresno
Business Council. And I think the fact that 125 members of that business council who
represent certainly a cross section of really all the businesses in Fresno, and most
of the very successful ones. And the fact that those 125 leaders of those businesses
had been willing to come together and say, "We're here for one reason only, and
that's to improve this community for the benefit of all." That, that encourages me
more than anything else that could have happened. Because a combined input from
those people, as well as the chamber of commerce and the--well, so many of the other
things now are happening. I mean, gosh, they just--and there's been spinoffs from
getting that many people to sit down together and talk about the, you know, the
problems Fresno is facing, the population growth here, and the lower earning levels
and things, that for them to sit down and actually all come together and be willing
to take the time to do it. That kind of brain power is going to make Fresno a much,
much better place in the future, I think, and it's going to help solve a lot of the
problems that we face and have been facing.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The average person would have said, "Gee, I paid my dues,
I've committed to the community." But you're not the average person. You and Ed
Kashian, when we speak of the future of Fresno, are co-chairing an enormous event
project along with Tony Coelho, the Event Center, an incredible, incredible
undertaking that grows daily. So we'll have this for years to come when they read
it. Just quickly, tell us about the Event Center and what that means to the
community and to the university.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, I'm the little guy on that team, I'll tell you for sure. But
with Ed and his knowledge and his--and I've--you know, and I've been, of course,
having to--being directly working with him on this project, he was avail--he was
able to get us Tony Coelho to participate on this, and Tony is totally committed to
it. And again, Dr. John Welty has been a tremendous president for the university, I
think. Well, you've seen that over the--certainly, the last->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Absolutely.
>> Robert Duncan: What is he now--been close to 10 years?
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Close to 10 years.
>> Robert Duncan: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah.
>> Robert Duncan: And his contributions, even though he's gone through some periods
of time where he's been criticized one way or the other and all that, but hey, there
is nobody that could work harder who has spent more hours in this and has been more
free with his support of--and got involved in the community in so many different
ways too, and has opened the university house to affairs that he is, you know, he
and his wife are--you know, I think they use it 3 times a week for, you know, for
the benefit of the university and the community and all. Anyway, that's getting away
from your question. But with that combined help, I think that--I think what the
team, the national team that has been put together now, and the people that—-it’s
become an immense project, far beyond I think anything that we initially started out
with. It's tended to grow and expand. But in so doing, it's also opened the door
for, for it to all happen and to--and the national team is the one who they are
going to be looking to bring in substantial big contributions to Fresno. That Fresno
would have never, never had any other way at all.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
Um-hmm
>> Robert Duncan And I'm thinking of nat--you know, of large corporate, corporate
deals that are, you know, capable of giving these dollars, but they had to have the
right reasons, and they had to have the right way of being recognized for them, and
by naming opportunities and things of that sort, and it had to be far more than just
a basketball arena. And the development of that western wing now, and all of the
things that are going to be encompassed in that have just opened the eyes and opened
the door for just--I think it--I think it's going to happen. I think we're going to
be able to pull it off, but only because we have other people on there that are just
willing to devote their time and effort to it and make it happen.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Is there anything that I didn't ask that you'd like to add
for [inaudible]->> Robert Duncan: No, you've given him more time to talk than->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, let me just say this, and not engaging in puffery is we
look at Leon Peters and what the award stands for, and we look at this community.
Certainly, Leon would be honored, that Bob Duncan was the recipient of an award
which stands in his name. So on behalf of the chamber and the Valley Business
Conference Planning Committee, Bob, I congratulate you for a lifetime of community
service and it's been an honor to have you as a friend as well.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, thank you very much.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good.
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Robert Duncan, 1985, Leon S. Peters recipient. His name is
synonymous with philanthropy, excellence in business, and everybody knows Bob Duncan
as Mr. Bulldog. It's a reputation dearly earned. We are indeed honored to have for
Leon S. Peters archive, Bob with us today. Bob, what was it like? You're a life-long
Fresnan, grew up in Fresno, graduated from Fresno High School, Fresno State, tell us
about you growing up in Fresno.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, things were a lot different. [Laughter] Growing up when I
grew up. I was born in '21. So I was at Fresno High and graduated in 1940, and at
that time, of course, things were starting to happen in Europe. And of course then,
the Japanese attacked and the--then when I graduated from high school, I immediately
went on to Fresno State College, it was the Fresno State College then. It wasn't a
university, and of course it was at the old campus, which is now the--the J--you
know, Junior College Campus. And I was there for 2 years and then was drafted into
the service. And during that time, my mom got involved in ceramics as a hobby. It
wasn't really a hobby that was available to everybody at that time, but her interest
was such that through an aunt in southern California who worked in a ceramic factory
down there, she got exposed to where she could buy materials and things of that
sort, and she'd always been an artist and did china painting in her younger years,
and so it was kind of a natural turn to go on into the--into ceramics. Well any
rate, then the war came. I got drafted and spent three and a half years in the
service. And during that time, my mom played with the hobby and then started
teaching. In fact, most of her customers were wives of the servicemen, of the--in
town at Hammer Field, because their husbands were all in the service and overseas,
and they were in Hammer Field, and had nothing--you know, a lot, a lot of time on
their hands. And so, she started having them come by the house and offered to let
them make things and teach them what she knew about ceramics at that time. And she
used our garage and our backyard to do that, the backyard during the summertime, of
course, under the trees was a pretty decent place to do it. So, at any rate, that
was kind of the beginning of the--of our involvement in ceramics. And when I got out
of the service and came home, I got out of the service, I got home at 9 o'clock one
night and started in at 6 AM the next morning in the ceramic business 'cause my mom
needed help. She was really--by that time, we--my dad had built a studio out on
Blackstone Avenue, that was when Blackstone was still two lanes and bordered by fig
trees and grape, grapevines. And so we built a studio joining a home out there, a
one-room home. And like I said, when I got out and got home, the only place I had to
sleep was a--was an army cot in the garage. So I didn't get out of the service after
all, [laughter] just kind of a continuation. And so I slept in the garage--or
stayed. That was my place, in the garage for, for well, 6 months while I actually
built a--with the aid of my dad, built a bedroom under the--on to their little home,
and eventually moved into that. But any rate, then the--then ceramics is--it started
to grow, the interest started growing. We did teaching, of course, again. I intended
to go back and get my degree at--in business at the--at that time at the university.
And--but mom needed help so badly that she asked me to stick around, this might just
be a fad and they'd go away in a year's time. So please help her out at least for
that year. And of course, the year ended up being forever.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But you since been granted an honorary doctorate by your
university->> Robert Duncan: Well, that's true.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So we call you Dr. Duncan. So literally, Duncan Enterprise,
which is known worldwide, literally developed out of a backyard and a garage.
>> Robert Duncan: It sure did.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
As well—-
>> Robert Duncan: That was its beginning.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How do you account for this--the tremendous success? I can
recall traveling in Europe and I looked into some--Duncan Enterprise Fresno--some
ceramic piece. Was it timing? Was it--what was it that has made the Duncan
Enterprise as a successful->> Robert Duncan: Well, a lot of it was timing, but again, we were blessed in the
sense that--you know, an artist normally isn't a good business person. I wasn't an
artist. I wasn't blessed with any art ability. So my mom was the artist. She handled
that end of it. I handle--I handled the business end of it. And my brother, younger
brother, came and joined the business, and he handled the kind of the manufacturing
end of it. He was interested in that part. So we made a great combination. And in so
doing, we had an advantage over most of our competition because our competition in
those days was growing in the same way we were, because the hobby was so young. And
so this gave us a combination, really a family combination that permitted us to go
from a retail operation into a wholesale distribution nationwide, and then
eventually, because of a fire in 1953 that we burned down totally at--on Blackstone,
we rebuilt and started the manufacturing end of it because that was the growth of
the business, you know, is to go from a retail to a wholesaler, to a--to the
manufacturing. And then as we got into manufacturing, I got involved in the business
end in the--and traveling to the various ceramic hobby shows around the country, and
with that, had an opportunity to form the--to be instrumental of that at any rate
and forming the National Ceramic Manufacturers Association, which I was the first
president and continued for a three-year period, and then continued on with the
association then for another 30 years, really, in serving on all types of committees
and things of that sort. But at any rate, that gave us an exposure and the hobby was
so popular that it--that internationally, there became an interest in it, and again,
as--well, as of today, we sell our products now in 42 foreign countries, you know.
So we're well known in the ceramic hobby business.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Of course, the Leon S. Peters award not only stands for
excellence in business which Bob Duncan and Duncan Enterprise and your brother and
your family are noted for, but another big piece of the Leon Peters award, a big,
big piece of it, is community service, community not only in philanthropy, but
community involvement. And without patronizing you, everybody knows that Bob Duncan
gives and gives and gives not just financially, whether it's the--as I recall, the
Duncan Enterprise was the single biggest contributor to the Fresno State Football
Stadium. You were responsible for getting us involved in the metropolitan museum
from the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame, and go through a whole litany of things. But
how, Bob--how did you get involved with community activities and continue to be
involved for such a long, long time. Because the bottom line in terms of business is
it--it's--in profit, it doesn't translate itself to that. What motivated you to get
community involved?
>> Robert Duncan: Well, you'll find this interesting. I think the thing that
motivated me most was when I started traveling and establishing distributorships and
pursuing, you know, our business in ceramics. People said, well, you know, "Where
the hell is Fresno?"
[ Laughter ]
>>Dr. Pete Peters: Yeah
>> Robert Duncan: And Fresno was just--did not have much recognition, you know, in
the nation. And I guess, being born and raised here, you just start feeling that,
darn it, you know, there needs to be something done to increase the name of Fresno
and some people think it's kind of probably silly, but I decided that through the
university, which I--I've always been a lover of sports. Never been, never been a
participant to any degree, but I've been a lover of sports. And so I saw Fresno
State struggling as a small sports program and felt that--and again, Fresno did not
have any pride in itself. They had nothing to take any pride to associate with, and
I thought that, that there was no reason why we couldn't build athletic teams at
Fresno State that would be able to compete nationwide, actually on that level, and
that there would be no better way to spread the word about Fresno than through
Fresno State athletics, and that athletics with the university, the fact that it was
then before the university, it was still Fresno State College, that athletics would
give it a name and give the people who've--here in town, something to, to--some
pride to associate with, and say, you know, that that's our Bulldogs--you know,
those are our Bulldog teams that are out there competing and they're winning games
against other named universities, and it--I thought it was a pride factor that we
needed most of all, and I think that over the years, that that's proven itself out
very well.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, how do you feel now from the old Ratcliffe Stadium
days, and now looking at Bulldog stadium which you help build, and the national
recognition that the university has gotten, the old saying you've come a long, long
ways, certainly, there must be a sense of pride with you to notice that Fresno State
University, I know you served as chairman of the Bulldog Foundation for an
unprecedented 3 years, you were recognized by the NCAA as a national contributor and
supporter of collegiate athletics. I imagine there's a tremendous amount of pride
and feeling that you and others have fulfilled that vision of making Fresno State
what many would consider assuming a national power.
>> Robert Duncan: I'm glad you said you and others because it's not been done alone.
It's been, you know, it's been a tremendous group of people who've really gotten
behind it all and done a lot, and I've certainly got more than my share of attention
because of it. But it was the fact that it was a, you know a group effort certainly,
and you know that very well that nothing gets done by any one individual. But I-yeah, I do feel a lot of pride in it. I really do. And I think that it--and I see
as--well, and there's no end to it. I mean, it's continuing, and with the, the you
know, with the new football coach, hey, he's doing a fantastic job of again, getting
this--you know, Coach Sweeney came into town and awakened the sleeping giant, and
Pat has come along and picked that up and he is making those teams out there roar so
loud that they're being heard now all over the country.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Most people, Bob, who were fortunate to
would be the first to say that you're probably one of the most
and do not seek the limelight, but the limelight seems to seek
to Bob Duncan to be awarded--Lew Eaton was the first recipient
award in 1984, and shortly thereafter, in 1985, Bob Duncan was
What did it mean to you personally?
have you as a friend
modest individuals
you. What did it mean
of the Leon S. Peters
the second recipient.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, it was probably the greatest thing that had ever happened to
me for sure, that that type of recognition from the two men that both Leon and Lew,
were the two men that in my, you know, feelings were the--the two that had done the
most for this city and had made such great contributions and been so instrumental in
so many different ways of seeing the--and they were both, and of course, very much
involved also in the building of that stadium. And so to be chosen that early on was
really a real pride. And of course, it was--back in those days, it was a total
surprise and then to find that my son was the one who'd, who’d gone to the trouble
of nominating me and getting other back up people, you know->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, it was just a great, great experience, and one I'll never
forget. And I hope that the others that have come along too have--and I'm sure they
have experienced the same type of feeling about it.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Not only did you know Leon well and worked with Leon, but he
considered you a friend and you considered him a friend.
>> Robert Duncan: Oh Gosh yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: What was that relationship like with Leon? When did you first
sort of meet Leon and->> Robert Duncan: Well, it came in through the chamber of commerce. It came just-and then I'd heard that--and this is kind of funny, but I'd heard that Leon was at
one time, had tried to join the Sunnyside Country Club, and back in those days, the
Armenian Community was not--it was not acceptable as a--and man, I just--that just
bothered me so much, and--well, for a guy that I respected and put on a pedestal
above almost anybody else in the community, it just showed that there were so many
things that needed to be done in this community, and needed to be changed in all
that. And I was, you know--had an opportunity->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
I heard about--
>> Robert Duncan: —-to help. And I was blessed with--because of my family support
and because of the business doing well and all that, I was blessed with the time and
finances and many cases where I could help out and help to make some changes, you
know.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You've had many, many successes and you've been blessed in
many ways with a good family->> Robert Duncan: Very much so.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And a superb reputation. But all business people and all
athletes have their setbacks. You experienced in the restaurant business.
>> Robert Duncan: Oh, boy.
[ Laughter ]
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Can you comment just briefly upon that because sometimes
people see people who are so successful and they say, "Gee, they'd never had any of
the setbacks that we've had." And you've had your share of struggle->> Robert Duncan: Oh yes, yes indeed.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: --and humbleness without bringing up a sore subject, but I
think it's important to->> Robert Duncan: Oh, no, it isn't really a sore subject. It's a--it was a
disappointment, you know, but it was one of those, you know--one of those, you know-and we've all suffered disappointments, probably many times in our lifetime. But I
felt, well, my primary purpose of that restaurant was to make it a sports
restaurant, and I thought it would be a great tool for recruiting players when they
just come into town and see the history of the various Fresno players and their
backgrounds and--and all, and I thought that that would be a real contribution to
the university, and I thought at the same time that it would serve also to--it would
give me another exposure to a totally different type of business. But I thought that
I could do it by not getting personally that involved on a day to day basis and hire
other people to do it, and I wasn't successful--that. But I mean, it just--maybe it
was a little bit before its time too. Maybe, maybe I was, you know, trying to->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
You were ahead of your time
>> Robert Duncan: Yeah, rush in to something there that it wasn't ready for me
anyway. And so it didn't turn out to be--but for several years, it served its
purpose and unfortunately and just financially, it wasn't some--one of those things
that I could continue to support-[ Laughter ]
[ Simultaneous Talking ]
>> Robert Duncan: So, that wasn't a moneymaker, it was a money loser.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: If--there are a lot of young people today starting off in the
community, going into business, and you've had the benefit of experience and wisdom,
what would you advise in young people starting off today that aspire to be
successful business people? What advice would you give them?
>> Robert Duncan: I see today as probably an opportunity that is out there for
almost every young person if they're willing to make their--some sacrifices up front
and devote and be willing to spend the time. And I think back when Dick and I were
working at the business and we were--we had very little capital in those days to
put--well, in fact, the only thing we were putting back into the business, what the
business was earning. So we settled for a very minimum income and we worked--well,
in fact, we worked on two shifts. We kept changing off, but I'd work the day 12 hour
shift, and he'd work the night 12 hour shift, and then we'd change off and I'd work
the night shift and he'd work the day shift. And that was to maximize the use of the
materials that we did have and the equipment that we had until we could get more
equipment. And I just think that, you know, we went for many--actually, many years
without a vacation or anything else in those early days because that was a sacrifice
that you had to make if you're going to be prepared to take advantage of every
opportunity that came along. You had to be--you had to have some capital, you had to
be financially sound in order to take the--because many times, we took risks, of
course. And so you had to prepared to pay the price to do that. And I think too many
young people today look to moving right in on the upper level and starting out as
the boss or starting out as the--at least at a level that where maybe they're too
concerned initially at how many weeks of vacation are they going to get, and how
many days--how many holidays are they going to be able to get off and how much, you
know--what are the other fringe benefits and all that. Not that those things aren't
all important, obviously, but I think that the majority make it possible for a-those who are willing to make the sacrifice to get ahead so--I mean, to move in
there and move in and out and ahead of everybody else simply because they're willing
to pay the price now and then later on, the benefits are there and, boy, and I'm a
good example of that. I mean, the early sacrifices that we made are the things that
paid off for us and let us go out in a competitive field because we had 80
manufacturers in the National Ceramic Manufacturers Association that we were
competing with, and we were able to go out and beat them hands down, and truly, it
was because we were willing to pay the price to do it.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And take the risk.
>> Robert Duncan: Yeah, and take the risk.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: In your vantage point now, and closing with this, what do you
see the future of Fresno? You've--born here and you've seen Fresno grow
tremendously. You've been involved with every aspect of the community. What does the
future hold for Fresno?
>> Robert Duncan: I think over the last--I've really been encouraged over the last 5
or 6--oh gosh, I guess it's been 6 years when I was asked to join the Fresno
Business Council. And I think the fact that 125 members of that business council who
represent certainly a cross section of really all the businesses in Fresno, and most
of the very successful ones. And the fact that those 125 leaders of those businesses
had been willing to come together and say, "We're here for one reason only, and
that's to improve this community for the benefit of all." That, that encourages me
more than anything else that could have happened. Because a combined input from
those people, as well as the chamber of commerce and the--well, so many of the other
things now are happening. I mean, gosh, they just--and there's been spinoffs from
getting that many people to sit down together and talk about the, you know, the
problems Fresno is facing, the population growth here, and the lower earning levels
and things, that for them to sit down and actually all come together and be willing
to take the time to do it. That kind of brain power is going to make Fresno a much,
much better place in the future, I think, and it's going to help solve a lot of the
problems that we face and have been facing.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The average person would have said, "Gee, I paid my dues,
I've committed to the community." But you're not the average person. You and Ed
Kashian, when we speak of the future of Fresno, are co-chairing an enormous event
project along with Tony Coelho, the Event Center, an incredible, incredible
undertaking that grows daily. So we'll have this for years to come when they read
it. Just quickly, tell us about the Event Center and what that means to the
community and to the university.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, I'm the little guy on that team, I'll tell you for sure. But
with Ed and his knowledge and his--and I've--you know, and I've been, of course,
having to--being directly working with him on this project, he was avail--he was
able to get us Tony Coelho to participate on this, and Tony is totally committed to
it. And again, Dr. John Welty has been a tremendous president for the university, I
think. Well, you've seen that over the--certainly, the last->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Absolutely.
>> Robert Duncan: What is he now--been close to 10 years?
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Close to 10 years.
>> Robert Duncan: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah.
>> Robert Duncan: And his contributions, even though he's gone through some periods
of time where he's been criticized one way or the other and all that, but hey, there
is nobody that could work harder who has spent more hours in this and has been more
free with his support of--and got involved in the community in so many different
ways too, and has opened the university house to affairs that he is, you know, he
and his wife are--you know, I think they use it 3 times a week for, you know, for
the benefit of the university and the community and all. Anyway, that's getting away
from your question. But with that combined help, I think that--I think what the
team, the national team that has been put together now, and the people that—-it’s
become an immense project, far beyond I think anything that we initially started out
with. It's tended to grow and expand. But in so doing, it's also opened the door
for, for it to all happen and to--and the national team is the one who they are
going to be looking to bring in substantial big contributions to Fresno. That Fresno
would have never, never had any other way at all.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
Um-hmm
>> Robert Duncan And I'm thinking of nat--you know, of large corporate, corporate
deals that are, you know, capable of giving these dollars, but they had to have the
right reasons, and they had to have the right way of being recognized for them, and
by naming opportunities and things of that sort, and it had to be far more than just
a basketball arena. And the development of that western wing now, and all of the
things that are going to be encompassed in that have just opened the eyes and opened
the door for just--I think it--I think it's going to happen. I think we're going to
be able to pull it off, but only because we have other people on there that are just
willing to devote their time and effort to it and make it happen.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Is there anything that I didn't ask that you'd like to add
for [inaudible]->> Robert Duncan: No, you've given him more time to talk than->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, let me just say this, and not engaging in puffery is we
look at Leon Peters and what the award stands for, and we look at this community.
Certainly, Leon would be honored, that Bob Duncan was the recipient of an award
which stands in his name. So on behalf of the chamber and the Valley Business
Conference Planning Committee, Bob, I congratulate you for a lifetime of community
service and it's been an honor to have you as a friend as well.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, thank you very much.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good.
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
synonymous with philanthropy, excellence in business, and everybody knows Bob Duncan
as Mr. Bulldog. It's a reputation dearly earned. We are indeed honored to have for
Leon S. Peters archive, Bob with us today. Bob, what was it like? You're a life-long
Fresnan, grew up in Fresno, graduated from Fresno High School, Fresno State, tell us
about you growing up in Fresno.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, things were a lot different. [Laughter] Growing up when I
grew up. I was born in '21. So I was at Fresno High and graduated in 1940, and at
that time, of course, things were starting to happen in Europe. And of course then,
the Japanese attacked and the--then when I graduated from high school, I immediately
went on to Fresno State College, it was the Fresno State College then. It wasn't a
university, and of course it was at the old campus, which is now the--the J--you
know, Junior College Campus. And I was there for 2 years and then was drafted into
the service. And during that time, my mom got involved in ceramics as a hobby. It
wasn't really a hobby that was available to everybody at that time, but her interest
was such that through an aunt in southern California who worked in a ceramic factory
down there, she got exposed to where she could buy materials and things of that
sort, and she'd always been an artist and did china painting in her younger years,
and so it was kind of a natural turn to go on into the--into ceramics. Well any
rate, then the war came. I got drafted and spent three and a half years in the
service. And during that time, my mom played with the hobby and then started
teaching. In fact, most of her customers were wives of the servicemen, of the--in
town at Hammer Field, because their husbands were all in the service and overseas,
and they were in Hammer Field, and had nothing--you know, a lot, a lot of time on
their hands. And so, she started having them come by the house and offered to let
them make things and teach them what she knew about ceramics at that time. And she
used our garage and our backyard to do that, the backyard during the summertime, of
course, under the trees was a pretty decent place to do it. So, at any rate, that
was kind of the beginning of the--of our involvement in ceramics. And when I got out
of the service and came home, I got out of the service, I got home at 9 o'clock one
night and started in at 6 AM the next morning in the ceramic business 'cause my mom
needed help. She was really--by that time, we--my dad had built a studio out on
Blackstone Avenue, that was when Blackstone was still two lanes and bordered by fig
trees and grape, grapevines. And so we built a studio joining a home out there, a
one-room home. And like I said, when I got out and got home, the only place I had to
sleep was a--was an army cot in the garage. So I didn't get out of the service after
all, [laughter] just kind of a continuation. And so I slept in the garage--or
stayed. That was my place, in the garage for, for well, 6 months while I actually
built a--with the aid of my dad, built a bedroom under the--on to their little home,
and eventually moved into that. But any rate, then the--then ceramics is--it started
to grow, the interest started growing. We did teaching, of course, again. I intended
to go back and get my degree at--in business at the--at that time at the university.
And--but mom needed help so badly that she asked me to stick around, this might just
be a fad and they'd go away in a year's time. So please help her out at least for
that year. And of course, the year ended up being forever.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But you since been granted an honorary doctorate by your
university->> Robert Duncan: Well, that's true.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So we call you Dr. Duncan. So literally, Duncan Enterprise,
which is known worldwide, literally developed out of a backyard and a garage.
>> Robert Duncan: It sure did.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
As well—-
>> Robert Duncan: That was its beginning.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How do you account for this--the tremendous success? I can
recall traveling in Europe and I looked into some--Duncan Enterprise Fresno--some
ceramic piece. Was it timing? Was it--what was it that has made the Duncan
Enterprise as a successful->> Robert Duncan: Well, a lot of it was timing, but again, we were blessed in the
sense that--you know, an artist normally isn't a good business person. I wasn't an
artist. I wasn't blessed with any art ability. So my mom was the artist. She handled
that end of it. I handle--I handled the business end of it. And my brother, younger
brother, came and joined the business, and he handled the kind of the manufacturing
end of it. He was interested in that part. So we made a great combination. And in so
doing, we had an advantage over most of our competition because our competition in
those days was growing in the same way we were, because the hobby was so young. And
so this gave us a combination, really a family combination that permitted us to go
from a retail operation into a wholesale distribution nationwide, and then
eventually, because of a fire in 1953 that we burned down totally at--on Blackstone,
we rebuilt and started the manufacturing end of it because that was the growth of
the business, you know, is to go from a retail to a wholesaler, to a--to the
manufacturing. And then as we got into manufacturing, I got involved in the business
end in the--and traveling to the various ceramic hobby shows around the country, and
with that, had an opportunity to form the--to be instrumental of that at any rate
and forming the National Ceramic Manufacturers Association, which I was the first
president and continued for a three-year period, and then continued on with the
association then for another 30 years, really, in serving on all types of committees
and things of that sort. But at any rate, that gave us an exposure and the hobby was
so popular that it--that internationally, there became an interest in it, and again,
as--well, as of today, we sell our products now in 42 foreign countries, you know.
So we're well known in the ceramic hobby business.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Of course, the Leon S. Peters award not only stands for
excellence in business which Bob Duncan and Duncan Enterprise and your brother and
your family are noted for, but another big piece of the Leon Peters award, a big,
big piece of it, is community service, community not only in philanthropy, but
community involvement. And without patronizing you, everybody knows that Bob Duncan
gives and gives and gives not just financially, whether it's the--as I recall, the
Duncan Enterprise was the single biggest contributor to the Fresno State Football
Stadium. You were responsible for getting us involved in the metropolitan museum
from the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame, and go through a whole litany of things. But
how, Bob--how did you get involved with community activities and continue to be
involved for such a long, long time. Because the bottom line in terms of business is
it--it's--in profit, it doesn't translate itself to that. What motivated you to get
community involved?
>> Robert Duncan: Well, you'll find this interesting. I think the thing that
motivated me most was when I started traveling and establishing distributorships and
pursuing, you know, our business in ceramics. People said, well, you know, "Where
the hell is Fresno?"
[ Laughter ]
>>Dr. Pete Peters: Yeah
>> Robert Duncan: And Fresno was just--did not have much recognition, you know, in
the nation. And I guess, being born and raised here, you just start feeling that,
darn it, you know, there needs to be something done to increase the name of Fresno
and some people think it's kind of probably silly, but I decided that through the
university, which I--I've always been a lover of sports. Never been, never been a
participant to any degree, but I've been a lover of sports. And so I saw Fresno
State struggling as a small sports program and felt that--and again, Fresno did not
have any pride in itself. They had nothing to take any pride to associate with, and
I thought that, that there was no reason why we couldn't build athletic teams at
Fresno State that would be able to compete nationwide, actually on that level, and
that there would be no better way to spread the word about Fresno than through
Fresno State athletics, and that athletics with the university, the fact that it was
then before the university, it was still Fresno State College, that athletics would
give it a name and give the people who've--here in town, something to, to--some
pride to associate with, and say, you know, that that's our Bulldogs--you know,
those are our Bulldog teams that are out there competing and they're winning games
against other named universities, and it--I thought it was a pride factor that we
needed most of all, and I think that over the years, that that's proven itself out
very well.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, how do you feel now from the old Ratcliffe Stadium
days, and now looking at Bulldog stadium which you help build, and the national
recognition that the university has gotten, the old saying you've come a long, long
ways, certainly, there must be a sense of pride with you to notice that Fresno State
University, I know you served as chairman of the Bulldog Foundation for an
unprecedented 3 years, you were recognized by the NCAA as a national contributor and
supporter of collegiate athletics. I imagine there's a tremendous amount of pride
and feeling that you and others have fulfilled that vision of making Fresno State
what many would consider assuming a national power.
>> Robert Duncan: I'm glad you said you and others because it's not been done alone.
It's been, you know, it's been a tremendous group of people who've really gotten
behind it all and done a lot, and I've certainly got more than my share of attention
because of it. But it was the fact that it was a, you know a group effort certainly,
and you know that very well that nothing gets done by any one individual. But I-yeah, I do feel a lot of pride in it. I really do. And I think that it--and I see
as--well, and there's no end to it. I mean, it's continuing, and with the, the you
know, with the new football coach, hey, he's doing a fantastic job of again, getting
this--you know, Coach Sweeney came into town and awakened the sleeping giant, and
Pat has come along and picked that up and he is making those teams out there roar so
loud that they're being heard now all over the country.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Most people, Bob, who were fortunate to
would be the first to say that you're probably one of the most
and do not seek the limelight, but the limelight seems to seek
to Bob Duncan to be awarded--Lew Eaton was the first recipient
award in 1984, and shortly thereafter, in 1985, Bob Duncan was
What did it mean to you personally?
have you as a friend
modest individuals
you. What did it mean
of the Leon S. Peters
the second recipient.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, it was probably the greatest thing that had ever happened to
me for sure, that that type of recognition from the two men that both Leon and Lew,
were the two men that in my, you know, feelings were the--the two that had done the
most for this city and had made such great contributions and been so instrumental in
so many different ways of seeing the--and they were both, and of course, very much
involved also in the building of that stadium. And so to be chosen that early on was
really a real pride. And of course, it was--back in those days, it was a total
surprise and then to find that my son was the one who'd, who’d gone to the trouble
of nominating me and getting other back up people, you know->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, it was just a great, great experience, and one I'll never
forget. And I hope that the others that have come along too have--and I'm sure they
have experienced the same type of feeling about it.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Not only did you know Leon well and worked with Leon, but he
considered you a friend and you considered him a friend.
>> Robert Duncan: Oh Gosh yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: What was that relationship like with Leon? When did you first
sort of meet Leon and->> Robert Duncan: Well, it came in through the chamber of commerce. It came just-and then I'd heard that--and this is kind of funny, but I'd heard that Leon was at
one time, had tried to join the Sunnyside Country Club, and back in those days, the
Armenian Community was not--it was not acceptable as a--and man, I just--that just
bothered me so much, and--well, for a guy that I respected and put on a pedestal
above almost anybody else in the community, it just showed that there were so many
things that needed to be done in this community, and needed to be changed in all
that. And I was, you know--had an opportunity->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
I heard about--
>> Robert Duncan: —-to help. And I was blessed with--because of my family support
and because of the business doing well and all that, I was blessed with the time and
finances and many cases where I could help out and help to make some changes, you
know.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You've had many, many successes and you've been blessed in
many ways with a good family->> Robert Duncan: Very much so.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And a superb reputation. But all business people and all
athletes have their setbacks. You experienced in the restaurant business.
>> Robert Duncan: Oh, boy.
[ Laughter ]
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Can you comment just briefly upon that because sometimes
people see people who are so successful and they say, "Gee, they'd never had any of
the setbacks that we've had." And you've had your share of struggle->> Robert Duncan: Oh yes, yes indeed.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: --and humbleness without bringing up a sore subject, but I
think it's important to->> Robert Duncan: Oh, no, it isn't really a sore subject. It's a--it was a
disappointment, you know, but it was one of those, you know--one of those, you know-and we've all suffered disappointments, probably many times in our lifetime. But I
felt, well, my primary purpose of that restaurant was to make it a sports
restaurant, and I thought it would be a great tool for recruiting players when they
just come into town and see the history of the various Fresno players and their
backgrounds and--and all, and I thought that that would be a real contribution to
the university, and I thought at the same time that it would serve also to--it would
give me another exposure to a totally different type of business. But I thought that
I could do it by not getting personally that involved on a day to day basis and hire
other people to do it, and I wasn't successful--that. But I mean, it just--maybe it
was a little bit before its time too. Maybe, maybe I was, you know, trying to->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
You were ahead of your time
>> Robert Duncan: Yeah, rush in to something there that it wasn't ready for me
anyway. And so it didn't turn out to be--but for several years, it served its
purpose and unfortunately and just financially, it wasn't some--one of those things
that I could continue to support-[ Laughter ]
[ Simultaneous Talking ]
>> Robert Duncan: So, that wasn't a moneymaker, it was a money loser.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: If--there are a lot of young people today starting off in the
community, going into business, and you've had the benefit of experience and wisdom,
what would you advise in young people starting off today that aspire to be
successful business people? What advice would you give them?
>> Robert Duncan: I see today as probably an opportunity that is out there for
almost every young person if they're willing to make their--some sacrifices up front
and devote and be willing to spend the time. And I think back when Dick and I were
working at the business and we were--we had very little capital in those days to
put--well, in fact, the only thing we were putting back into the business, what the
business was earning. So we settled for a very minimum income and we worked--well,
in fact, we worked on two shifts. We kept changing off, but I'd work the day 12 hour
shift, and he'd work the night 12 hour shift, and then we'd change off and I'd work
the night shift and he'd work the day shift. And that was to maximize the use of the
materials that we did have and the equipment that we had until we could get more
equipment. And I just think that, you know, we went for many--actually, many years
without a vacation or anything else in those early days because that was a sacrifice
that you had to make if you're going to be prepared to take advantage of every
opportunity that came along. You had to be--you had to have some capital, you had to
be financially sound in order to take the--because many times, we took risks, of
course. And so you had to prepared to pay the price to do that. And I think too many
young people today look to moving right in on the upper level and starting out as
the boss or starting out as the--at least at a level that where maybe they're too
concerned initially at how many weeks of vacation are they going to get, and how
many days--how many holidays are they going to be able to get off and how much, you
know--what are the other fringe benefits and all that. Not that those things aren't
all important, obviously, but I think that the majority make it possible for a-those who are willing to make the sacrifice to get ahead so--I mean, to move in
there and move in and out and ahead of everybody else simply because they're willing
to pay the price now and then later on, the benefits are there and, boy, and I'm a
good example of that. I mean, the early sacrifices that we made are the things that
paid off for us and let us go out in a competitive field because we had 80
manufacturers in the National Ceramic Manufacturers Association that we were
competing with, and we were able to go out and beat them hands down, and truly, it
was because we were willing to pay the price to do it.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And take the risk.
>> Robert Duncan: Yeah, and take the risk.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: In your vantage point now, and closing with this, what do you
see the future of Fresno? You've--born here and you've seen Fresno grow
tremendously. You've been involved with every aspect of the community. What does the
future hold for Fresno?
>> Robert Duncan: I think over the last--I've really been encouraged over the last 5
or 6--oh gosh, I guess it's been 6 years when I was asked to join the Fresno
Business Council. And I think the fact that 125 members of that business council who
represent certainly a cross section of really all the businesses in Fresno, and most
of the very successful ones. And the fact that those 125 leaders of those businesses
had been willing to come together and say, "We're here for one reason only, and
that's to improve this community for the benefit of all." That, that encourages me
more than anything else that could have happened. Because a combined input from
those people, as well as the chamber of commerce and the--well, so many of the other
things now are happening. I mean, gosh, they just--and there's been spinoffs from
getting that many people to sit down together and talk about the, you know, the
problems Fresno is facing, the population growth here, and the lower earning levels
and things, that for them to sit down and actually all come together and be willing
to take the time to do it. That kind of brain power is going to make Fresno a much,
much better place in the future, I think, and it's going to help solve a lot of the
problems that we face and have been facing.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The average person would have said, "Gee, I paid my dues,
I've committed to the community." But you're not the average person. You and Ed
Kashian, when we speak of the future of Fresno, are co-chairing an enormous event
project along with Tony Coelho, the Event Center, an incredible, incredible
undertaking that grows daily. So we'll have this for years to come when they read
it. Just quickly, tell us about the Event Center and what that means to the
community and to the university.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, I'm the little guy on that team, I'll tell you for sure. But
with Ed and his knowledge and his--and I've--you know, and I've been, of course,
having to--being directly working with him on this project, he was avail--he was
able to get us Tony Coelho to participate on this, and Tony is totally committed to
it. And again, Dr. John Welty has been a tremendous president for the university, I
think. Well, you've seen that over the--certainly, the last->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Absolutely.
>> Robert Duncan: What is he now--been close to 10 years?
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Close to 10 years.
>> Robert Duncan: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah.
>> Robert Duncan: And his contributions, even though he's gone through some periods
of time where he's been criticized one way or the other and all that, but hey, there
is nobody that could work harder who has spent more hours in this and has been more
free with his support of--and got involved in the community in so many different
ways too, and has opened the university house to affairs that he is, you know, he
and his wife are--you know, I think they use it 3 times a week for, you know, for
the benefit of the university and the community and all. Anyway, that's getting away
from your question. But with that combined help, I think that--I think what the
team, the national team that has been put together now, and the people that—-it’s
become an immense project, far beyond I think anything that we initially started out
with. It's tended to grow and expand. But in so doing, it's also opened the door
for, for it to all happen and to--and the national team is the one who they are
going to be looking to bring in substantial big contributions to Fresno. That Fresno
would have never, never had any other way at all.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
Um-hmm
>> Robert Duncan And I'm thinking of nat--you know, of large corporate, corporate
deals that are, you know, capable of giving these dollars, but they had to have the
right reasons, and they had to have the right way of being recognized for them, and
by naming opportunities and things of that sort, and it had to be far more than just
a basketball arena. And the development of that western wing now, and all of the
things that are going to be encompassed in that have just opened the eyes and opened
the door for just--I think it--I think it's going to happen. I think we're going to
be able to pull it off, but only because we have other people on there that are just
willing to devote their time and effort to it and make it happen.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Is there anything that I didn't ask that you'd like to add
for [inaudible]->> Robert Duncan: No, you've given him more time to talk than->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, let me just say this, and not engaging in puffery is we
look at Leon Peters and what the award stands for, and we look at this community.
Certainly, Leon would be honored, that Bob Duncan was the recipient of an award
which stands in his name. So on behalf of the chamber and the Valley Business
Conference Planning Committee, Bob, I congratulate you for a lifetime of community
service and it's been an honor to have you as a friend as well.
>> Robert Duncan: Well, thank you very much.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good.
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