Honesty, Humility and Hard-Working

No photo today.

On Tuesday, I went to a memorial service for Dan Duncan. I have known Dan since 1982 when I became the audit partner for his company. Dan was first a client, then a friend and finally a very close and dear friend.

Most people do not know who Dan Duncan was (and Dan liked it that way); and, most of those who know who he was, only think of him as a man who Forbes listed as one of the richest men in America and/or a man who has generously given millions to various charities. For those of us who knew him well, we knew that he was an exceptional human being.

During the memorial service, the pastor said he had talked to many of Dan’s friends and business acquaintances and from their stories, he derived three characteristics of Mr. Dan Duncan: honesty, humility and hard working. As I looked around the jam-packed church, I saw most of the people nodding their heads in agreement. I think those three words very accurately describe how I saw Dan conduct himself day in and day out.

Dan grew-up outside of Center, Texas. His mother and brother died before Dan’s tenth birthday. His father left him to search out work around the country. His grandmother and aunt raised Dan in a small, two-room house with no indoor plumbing. Yet, I remember when asked by a news reporter if he was poor growing-up, Dan replied: “we didn’t have a car, or even many clothes, but, no one else had those things, so, no I do not think I grew up poor.”

At the memorial service, I saw people like the governor, our US Senators, many US Representatives, state politicians, CEOs, and the top socialites from all of Texas. But, more importantly, I saw many of the men who worked in his company’s plants. These men were wearing their “best” going-to-church clothes, including their favorite dress cowboy boots. I know that Dan would have been happy that these men showed up to see him off.

The world has been better off because God gave us Dan Duncan. I will miss you, Dan.