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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E508]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE LIFE OF OSCAR DUNCAN
______
HON. STEPHANIE N. MURPHY
of florida
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Mrs. MURPHY. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor my constituent, Oscar
Duncan, who passed away on April 10th, at the age of 75.
A long-time resident of Geneva, Florida, Oscar Duncan lived an
extraordinary life, and leaves behind an enduring legacy. He was a
soldier, a law enforcement officer, and a successful small business
owner.
Above all, Oscar was the Duncan family patriarch. He and his beloved
wife Bernice were married for 44 years, and he was fiercely protective
of her. Heaven help the person who said a cross word to Bernice in
Oscar's presence.
Together, they had 10 children, which led to 22 grandchildren, which
led to 23 great-grandchildren. That's more than a family. That's an
army.
My office spoke to one of Oscar's four sons, Hannibal Duncan, about
Oscar's life. Hannibal made clear that those who knew his father best
had the greatest respect and affection for him.
Oscar was born and raised in Tampa, at a time in our nation's history
when African-Americans were treated unequally under both law and
custom.
Adversity made Oscar strong, as fire forges steel. Everything Oscar
Duncan achieved in life, he had to fight for. Nothing was given to him;
he earned it all.
Out of high school, Oscar volunteered for the U.S. Army, serving for
five-and-a-half years, including tours in Korea and Germany, and rising
to the rank of sergeant.
The same qualities that made Oscar a good soldier made him a great
man. Discipline, intelligence, toughness, fairness, self-confidence,
the capacity to suppress fear and doubt, a sense of purpose. He was a
natural leader that others wanted to follow.
After leaving the service, Oscar earned two degrees at an Orlando-
area college and became a police officer in Eatonville, famed as the
first city in the country to be organized and governed by African-
Americans.
In 1971, Oscar was a member of the first class of black deputies
selected to join the Orange County Sheriffs Office, which had
officially desegregated in the early 1960s but had accepted only a
handful of African-Americans in the ensuing years. For nearly a decade,
Oscar woke up every day and worked to keep central Florida safe, always
the consummate professional.
Then, in his mid-30s, Oscar decided to walk a different path. He left
law enforcement and opened Duncan's Food Mart in Eatonville, located
next to the dry cleaning shop that Bernice ran. It became an iconic
institution in the city. Oscar did everything at the store--cooking and
cleaning, manning the cash register, and handling the finances. The
kids were expected to help as well, and it was here they absorbed their
father's lesson that success demands sacrifice.
According to Hannibal, Oscar explained his decision to change careers
by saying that, ``at some point in your life, you have to choose
between being a mouse and being a man.'' For Oscar, being a man meant
striking out on his own, answerable to no one but himself. It also
meant giving back to the African-American community he cherished--
creating jobs, economic activity, and a place for folks to gather and
enjoy each other's company.
Oscar ran the store for nearly 20 years, until he suffered a series
of strokes and his health began to unravel. Hannibal said his father
died like he lived--no complaints, no self-pity. Just dignity and
toughness.
Oscar Duncan was a man until his final breath. He will be deeply
missed.
I ask my congressional colleagues to join me in offering our
condolences to those he loved and to those who loved him.
____________________
