Charles Duncan Jr. obit

Former Rice trustee, U.S. energy secretary Charles Duncan Jr., dies at 96

 

 He was not on the list.

Charles Duncan Jr., an influential Rice University alumnus and energy secretary under former President Jimmy Carter, died Tuesday at his home in Houston. He was 96.

Duncan charted a career in oil, the beverage industry and public service before returning home and devoting his time to his alma mater. Known locally for his contributions to Rice and Houston and nationally for his role at the height of the energy crisis, his loved ones say that he all the while remained a pillar to his family — and they remember him as a man of integrity and loyalty in every respect.

“His life and career were complete because he made sure that he kind of did it all,” his son, Charles Duncan III, said.

Duncan died at home after complications from a fall. He leaves behind his wife of 65 years, Anne Smith; their son, Charles, and wife Leslie; daughter Mary Anne Dingus and husband Bill; and five grandchildren.

“His model of service and integrity was just impeccable,” Dingus said. “Everything that he did was based on his amazing ability to craft personal relationships.”

The businessman-turned-public servant was born in 1926 in Houston into a family that owned the prospering Duncan Coffee Company.

Duncan left Houston multiple times but always came back. He went to Lamar High School but graduated from Sewanee Military Academy in Tennessee along with his brother, John. His postsecondary schooling at the Rice Institute — now Rice University — was interrupted by service in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, but he graduated in 1947 with a degree in chemical engineering.

Duncan worked in the oil industry for just a year before he and his brother entered the family business, according to his biography. He also met Anne Smith, a stewardess living in Houston at the time, and they struck a yearslong friendship that turned into a relationship and marriage. 

Duncan threw himself into the coffee business, climbing the ranks until he ran the company himself. Despite some difficulties, its footprint expanded until it drew notice from the Coca-Cola Company. Duncan Coffee merged with the beverage group in 1964, transforming into the Coca-Cola Foods Division. By 1971, he was president of the parent company.

While living in Georgia, where Coca-Cola is headquartered, Duncan also became acquainted with then-Gov. Jimmy Carter. Years later, back in Houston, the president tapped him for two roles in his administration: first, the deputy secretary of defense, and then, energy secretary at the height of the energy crisis in 1979.

Despite initially expressing hesitation taking both positions due to a lack of experience, Duncan became known for his calm leadership and rapport with colleagues.

He was thrust into the larger role in the still-new Department of Energy after the shah of Iran, a U.S. ally, was overthrown. The American public, panicked at the prospect of shrinking oil supplies, formed long lines at gas pumps, and Duncan worked with Carter to deregulate the industry — increasing drilling as well as ramping up efforts related to energy efficiency and conservation.

Carter noted those efforts in a statement on Wednesday, as well as Duncan’s earliest attempts to establish equity for women in the Department of Defense.

“Rosalynn and I are saddened by Charles Duncan’s passing,” Carter said. “He was my friend for over 50 years, and in addition to his incredible success in business, served with distinction in two of the most critical positions in the federal government.”

Duncan moved back to Houston after Carter’s term ended in 1981, and he committed himself for the rest of his life to multiple charitable organizations. He was the first chairman of the Greater Houston Partnership, as well as a life member of the Houston Methodist Board of Directors.

His work on the partnership crossed into education, and he helped change the organizational structure of the Houston Independent School District, according to his memoir. He was also on the State Board of Education.

Duncan's work at Rice became one of the most important causes in the later part of his life, according to his family. Businessman George R. Brown had asked him to serve on the board of trustees in 1965, although he served on-and-off because of moves for his job. He was re-elected in 1981 and served as chairman from 1982 to 1996, a time that saw major growth in the school’s endowment.

“Of all the endeavors I have been involved in, Rice University is the one most likely to have the longest-term positive impact,” he said in his memoir.

During his leadership, Duncan helped to establish the Baker Institute for Public Policy, a nonpartisan think tank. He and his wife later donated $30 million to establish a residential college in his name, which held a particular source of pride, Dingus said. Even in older age, he often went to campus and would sit in dining halls to talk to students — proof of a lifelong devotion to education.

“He always said that other things might come and may go, but your education cannot be taken away from you,” Dingus said.

Duncan’s colleagues at Rice mourned his death Wednesday. James A. Baker III, the 61st secretary of state and the Baker Institute's namesake, noted the businessman’s “laser-like focus on getting things done.”

Close friend and fellow trustee J.D. Bucky Allshouse said he believes Duncan was one of — if not the most — influential figures at Rice in the past 50 years. He was humble, and he led people by consensus, he said.

“I always saw him as a dominant powerful individual that had a lot of people’s ears and was able to do a lot of things for this country, this state, for Rice University,” Allshouse said. “But he never acted that way. He was never overbearing.”

Allshouse said he learned quickly that Duncan puts his friends and family first, even with a busy work schedule. He made time for leisure, often going to Rice football games, riding horses, golfing or fishing, and he did not allow work to interfere.

Duncan’s work took his family around the country and world, and he maintained a lifelong enthusiasm for the outdoors. They also spent time each year at his ranch in Wyoming.

Dingus said her father was gentle and kind, and her brother added that was apparent by how he maintained friends on both sides of the aisle. He never mentioned his political leanings to his children, although he has been widely referenced as a Democrat. 

As a public figure, Dingus said she hopes people learn that her father was a "sweet and generous spirit." His arrangements have been daunting to plan, if only because of his humility.

“Mom has commented a couple times and said, ‘Don’t make any of this grandiose and pretentious, because he wouldn’t be able to stand that,’” Dingus said. “He liked things simple and old-fashioned.”