Duncan Carter | 1946–2016

Duncan Carter

August 24, 1946—February 22, 2016

by Jan Kurtz

Duncan Carter passed away peacefully after nearly six years of defying prostate cancer.  He was surrounded by friends and family.

Duncan spent his boyhood in Prosser, Washington, the fourth of eight children, and, after many moves early in his career, lived his last thirty years in Portland Oregon.

He loved words.  With a mother and two siblings who were journalists and a family of inveterate Scrabble players, he grew up in a word-rich environment.  He was said to know more limericks than anyone alive. It was fairly natural, then, that he became an English professor.  After earning a doctorate in English at the University of Illinois (1974), he taught mostly writing and rhetoric courses at West Point, Texas State University, Boston University, and for the last 25 years of his career, Portland State University. He was sufficiently committed to writing that he insisted on authoring his own obituary.

He produced many scholarly books and articles, but was proudest of his work with internationalization—finding ways to introduce students to the rest of the world.  Of course, he was also a devotee of international travel himself.

Duncan was also a leader—or at least he kept finding himself in leadership positions.  He was president of his high school student body and his college fraternity, vice president of the Washington State University student body, a captain in the army, department chair at two institutions, chief negotiator for the faculty union, and associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at PSU, among various other positions.

An irrepressible sense of humor got him through a lot of difficult times.

Duncan loved the outdoors.  He and various family members took pride in 22 straight annual week-long backpack trips.  He also ran marathons (two after age 60), climbed mountains, rafted, sailed, skied, cycled, hiked, and otherwise found any available excuse to be outside.

Duncan was on Josh Lockerby's BCEP team in 2009 with his son Daniel, and together they climbed Middle Sister as part of Adam Nawrot's Mazama team in 2010. He joined the Mazamas after taking BCEP and was a member until the end of 2015.

He was all about family.  He was fiercely in love with his wife of 13 years, Jan Kurtz.  He was also devoted to sons Daniel and TJ and daughter Katherine, all of whom survive him, as do siblings Dennis (San Diego), Dale and Dwight (Richland,WA), Darrel (Steens, MS) and Debbie (Fairbanks).  He also leaves four lively grandchildren.

A celebration of life took place on Saturday, March 19, 2016 at 11:00 at Westminster Church in Portland (1624 NE Hancock Street).  In lieu of flowers the family asks that you consider a gift to the Duncan Carter Writing Award at PSU (through the PSU Foundation), The Oregon Food Bank, or your favorite charity.