By Stanley Jay Duncan Sr.
My Father, Guss Rector Duncan, was born Feb. 19, 1900, in Wimberly, TX. The Oral history I have of him, things he told me.
epilepsy
He died in ‘53’ of brain cancer. Aunt Bernice saw him in ‘52’ . She said after she would get done seeing him she would just bawl because she could remember seeing her brother in this fantastic body, and now it wasn’t the same. He got a tumor in his head which gave him epilepsy, because he got kicked by a mule when he was between 14 and 16 years old, in Texas. I never saw any of his epileptic seizures, but the other kids did.. That was a time when it was kind of taboo, nobody talked about it.
I was told he was dying of cancer about three years before he died. The only thing I regret about that is that he wanted to fix my bike one time and I was reluctant to have him help me fix my bike because I had this secret, you know. And I didn’t want him to have to work for that.
athletic
The story by his younger sister, Bernice, was that he would get up every morning and run, He was a great athlete, very physically fit. Aunt Bernice talks about how he would get up every morning and run a number of miles before going to work. As far as his brothers and sisters, I met Aunt Bernice,
walk on hands
The story by his younger sister, Bernice, was that he would get up every morning and run, He was a great athlete, very physically fit. Aunt Bernice talks about how he would get up every morning and run a number of miles before going to work. As far as his brothers and sisters, I met Aunt Bernice,
walk on hands
My mom talks about Dad when they got married, him and uncle Alvin would walk on their hands they were real athletic. Dad was known to win a few five dollar bets, back then when five dollars was quite a lot of money walking across things on his hands. Dad learned to do acrobatic stuff from circus people.
circus acrobats
run away
In dad’s youth, in reference to what he told me, when he was about eight years of age he and a few others boys ran away from home. They got a job with this farmer some place else. He was able to make enough money to buy a rifle. The farmer actually let the parents know were they were at but he didn’t know his parents knew. He said the hardest thing he ever did was at the end of the summer when it was time to go back to school, he just came home and no one said any thing to him, no body spoke or acknowledged that he had run away and now he was home. He wasn’t spanked he wasn’t disciplined, nor was any body saying anything about it. And that was really one of the hardest moments of his life, when he came back to that.
He did talk about how he knew how to ride horses and how he could bounce from a round up into the saddle of the horse in a full run. He never talked to me about the circus but mom would tell me how he learned to do the flips and hand walking. He would always make bets against racing horses for so many feet or something like that. He knew he could out run a horse
In dad’s youth, in reference to what he told me, when he was about eight years of age he and a few others boys ran away from home. They got a job with this farmer some place else. He was able to make enough money to buy a rifle. The farmer actually let the parents know were they were at but he didn’t know his parents knew. He said the hardest thing he ever did was at the end of the summer when it was time to go back to school, he just came home and no one said any thing to him, no body spoke or acknowledged that he had run away and now he was home. He wasn’t spanked he wasn’t disciplined, nor was any body saying anything about it. And that was really one of the hardest moments of his life, when he came back to that.
el passo
He joined the Army in El Paso in 1916 or 1917, We have a picture of the camp at El Paso. He relayed the following story of ( a war?), Pancho Via’s guys got drunk and started shooting across the river and the united stated military went in after him. His troop was quickly mobilized and chased Pancho Via ( a Mexican revolutionary, who had over thrown the Mexican government once and was trying to do it a second time) across the border. He went in about 20 miles and Pancho Via had flooded some fields and they couldn’t get the artillery into Mexico. And this is a very interesting story of how we built a Highway all the way in to Mexico City chasing Pancho Via. His comment is that they made about 20 miles. _______________? had learned how to use all the mechanized weapons and he was recognized for chasing Pancho Via all over Mexico.
joining the army
He joined the Army early. I guess he lied about his age, he was about 16 or 17. After that excursion he did go to Europe, He did make Corporal, I remember seeing his papers. He was a Corporal when he got out of the Army. He talks about when they were in Europe (during WWI) they would shoot artillery for about 30 seconds. They would shoot off as many rounds as they could and then they would load up their artillery and run like hell. Within seconds after they had ran from the spot were they were shooting the German Army would come in and blow up the hole from were their artillery once was. So they could only take so many shots and then they had to run.
He joined the Army in El Paso in 1916 or 1917, We have a picture of the camp at El Paso. He relayed the following story of ( a war?), Pancho Via’s guys got drunk and started shooting across the river and the united stated military went in after him. His troop was quickly mobilized and chased Pancho Via ( a Mexican revolutionary, who had over thrown the Mexican government once and was trying to do it a second time) across the border. He went in about 20 miles and Pancho Via had flooded some fields and they couldn’t get the artillery into Mexico. And this is a very interesting story of how we built a Highway all the way in to Mexico City chasing Pancho Via. His comment is that they made about 20 miles. _______________? had learned how to use all the mechanized weapons and he was recognized for chasing Pancho Via all over Mexico.
joining the army
He joined the Army early. I guess he lied about his age, he was about 16 or 17. After that excursion he did go to Europe, He did make Corporal, I remember seeing his papers. He was a Corporal when he got out of the Army. He talks about when they were in Europe (during WWI) they would shoot artillery for about 30 seconds. They would shoot off as many rounds as they could and then they would load up their artillery and run like hell. Within seconds after they had ran from the spot were they were shooting the German Army would come in and blow up the hole from were their artillery once was. So they could only take so many shots and then they had to run.
races
Dad told me how when he was in the military how he loved the races. He didn’t care for the one mile run. He said that you have to sprint, that work. He liked something like six miles, He was a distance runner, he liked to do distance. He says a mile is to short, you have to run to fast for that. He told me how he would have someone with a sponge full of water about a mile before the finish. They would give him that sponge so he could get some water, and then he could pass everybody. I remember him telling me how he would run races.
boxing
He did boxing. I remember he showed me how to hit the punching bags. There was a rhythm to it, which he was very good at. He was telling me a story about this guy who was a prizefighter and he was taking on all comers. And somebody talked dad into fighting, because they noticed dad had a punching bag while he was working for some farmer out there in Texas. They say Dad didn’t have a classic stance, he had kind of a , double up like this, and cover himself up here and . . . Dad said he got a lucky punch and knocked him out.
Dad told me how when he was in the military how he loved the races. He didn’t care for the one mile run. He said that you have to sprint, that work. He liked something like six miles, He was a distance runner, he liked to do distance. He says a mile is to short, you have to run to fast for that. He told me how he would have someone with a sponge full of water about a mile before the finish. They would give him that sponge so he could get some water, and then he could pass everybody. I remember him telling me how he would run races.
boxing
He did boxing. I remember he showed me how to hit the punching bags. There was a rhythm to it, which he was very good at. He was telling me a story about this guy who was a prizefighter and he was taking on all comers. And somebody talked dad into fighting, because they noticed dad had a punching bag while he was working for some farmer out there in Texas. They say Dad didn’t have a classic stance, he had kind of a , double up like this, and cover himself up here and . . . Dad said he got a lucky punch and knocked him out.
texas shoot out
He was from Texas, and he would always pack a handgun. I guess there was some kind of fight were somebody shot someone by grabbing dad’s gun and shooting him. And I remember him talking about that.
strong silent type
Dad was not a talker, what I remember, where Uncle Don and Ernie were a big bag of hot air, They would talk real big. But dad wouldn’t walk into a bar and threaten to kick butt, but when he said he would, he did. Where the other husbands would bluff, dad would never bluff. He didn’t push people around, but he didn’t get pushed around either.
Dad was not a talker, what I remember, where Uncle Don and Ernie were a big bag of hot air, They would talk real big. But dad wouldn’t walk into a bar and threaten to kick butt, but when he said he would, he did. Where the other husbands would bluff, dad would never bluff. He didn’t push people around, but he didn’t get pushed around either.
bulls eye
Bud had a sister, Maggie, who married Uncle Don (Mom’s brother). She was a real good shot. They used to go around and shoot at these targets, She had all these trophies. They would go to these things were you would get so many points for bulls eyes, and stuff like that. And Uncle Don had a few trophies, but Aunt Maggie had a whole lot of trophies. That was a popular thing back in the 50’s.
Bud had a sister, Maggie, who married Uncle Don (Mom’s brother). She was a real good shot. They used to go around and shoot at these targets, She had all these trophies. They would go to these things were you would get so many points for bulls eyes, and stuff like that. And Uncle Don had a few trophies, but Aunt Maggie had a whole lot of trophies. That was a popular thing back in the 50’s.
eva
His mother’s name was Eva, and all her family had three letter names, like Gus, Eva, May. Aunt Bernice and Martha where his brothers and sisters.
His mother’s name was Eva, and all her family had three letter names, like Gus, Eva, May. Aunt Bernice and Martha where his brothers and sisters.
don't do it kate
Mom said he was the kind of man, when he said , ‘Kate, don’t do it’, she couldn’t bluff him, when he said , ‘don’t do it’ she best not do it because he would do what he promised. One time he said, ‘Kate, don’t do it or I’ll kick your ass.’ Before she could say "the hell you will" she had a boot in her butt. It was very rare but once he said it he felt he had to follow through. She said she could never bluff him like her other husbands.
c c c
Dad, in the 40s he did a lot of CCC (Conservative Core? Building recreational stuff, pools, campgrounds, hiking trails, etc) work, were Pres. Roosevelt had started these make work things so dad did a lot of trail building in Colorado. And he worked for the Rail Road and he retired from the Rail Road. When we were living in Denver I remember always watching, because when he came home he didn’t have a car, he would come in on the bus. So I always met him on the sidewalk coming from the bus. And the bus would stop half a block from my house. So I can remember when dad was working on the Rail Road, seeing him come home from there. Seems like I would always catch him coming home from the bus. Any way I remember when we would go up to visit my sister Tootsie in Tabernash. And dad would say, well a mile up here I built something here, and so he had memories of doing things around like that. And apparently after that he got on with the R.R.
out done
The last few years of his life he would go out and weed a cornfield. He just loved hard labor. What was said about him any one that worked with him building track or cutting weeds, he loved that. He would compete with the guy next to him and out work the guy next to him.
I respect that man
I can remember my stepfather tree trimming and doing work, Dad wasn’t that healthy but he had a lot of respect for Dad how he would push himself to do work. I remember him working with Ernie, Ernie had a job with the Lafayette graveyard, a lot of trees they had to trim and dad worked for Ernie. Ernie was very impressed, He said ‘Man! I sure have a lot of respect for that man.” I remember Ernie saying that.
Mom said he was the kind of man, when he said , ‘Kate, don’t do it’, she couldn’t bluff him, when he said , ‘don’t do it’ she best not do it because he would do what he promised. One time he said, ‘Kate, don’t do it or I’ll kick your ass.’ Before she could say "the hell you will" she had a boot in her butt. It was very rare but once he said it he felt he had to follow through. She said she could never bluff him like her other husbands.
c c c
Dad, in the 40s he did a lot of CCC (Conservative Core? Building recreational stuff, pools, campgrounds, hiking trails, etc) work, were Pres. Roosevelt had started these make work things so dad did a lot of trail building in Colorado. And he worked for the Rail Road and he retired from the Rail Road. When we were living in Denver I remember always watching, because when he came home he didn’t have a car, he would come in on the bus. So I always met him on the sidewalk coming from the bus. And the bus would stop half a block from my house. So I can remember when dad was working on the Rail Road, seeing him come home from there. Seems like I would always catch him coming home from the bus. Any way I remember when we would go up to visit my sister Tootsie in Tabernash. And dad would say, well a mile up here I built something here, and so he had memories of doing things around like that. And apparently after that he got on with the R.R.
out done
The last few years of his life he would go out and weed a cornfield. He just loved hard labor. What was said about him any one that worked with him building track or cutting weeds, he loved that. He would compete with the guy next to him and out work the guy next to him.
I respect that man
I can remember my stepfather tree trimming and doing work, Dad wasn’t that healthy but he had a lot of respect for Dad how he would push himself to do work. I remember him working with Ernie, Ernie had a job with the Lafayette graveyard, a lot of trees they had to trim and dad worked for Ernie. Ernie was very impressed, He said ‘Man! I sure have a lot of respect for that man.” I remember Ernie saying that.
I did mention that dad and Uncle Alvin, when they were both younger and mom had just married dad, they would play out at Rangely walking on their hands doing all kinds of acrobatic stuff. And Uncle Alvin is still alive waiting to build the temple in Jackson County, MO. He is about 96 now.
( molly’s note: uncle Alvin moved down near navou Illinois. And shortly after the navou temple was rebuilt and restored to us. Unlce Alvin was likely there if only to witness, and lay a stone or something)
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