It is with sadness that I report that Jack Duke has passed away.
Newsletter readers who have joined the "after the conference closes"
dinners on Saturday evenings at various genealogy conferences will remember
Jack and his wife Eleanor. The two of them have attended most of these dinners
for the past ten to twelve years.
The following is Jack Duke’s obituary:
Jack N. Duke, 84, passed away 4 January 2002, at his home.
He was born in Dallas, Texas to Joseph and Vida Duke and grew up in El Paso.
After graduation from the College of Mines and Metallurgy in 1938, he served
as an Investigator for the U. S. Treasury Department and during World War
II was in the Military Police attached to the 14th Air Force at General
Claire Chennault's headquarters of the "Flying Tigers" in central
China. Upon returning to El Paso he was employed as a Supervisory Inspector
with the U.S. Customs Service until his retirement.
He is survived by his wife, Eleanor Duke; a sister Louise
Cross and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was a member for the First Baptist Church of El Paso, Masonic
Lodge 130, Scottish Rite and El Maida Shrine.
Graveside services were held at Restlawn Cemetery at 2 p.m.,
9 January 2002 with the Reverend Levi Price, Jr. officiating.
I will always remember Jack as a gracious gentleman with quiet
mannerisms. However, his quiet demeanor hid a long history of law enforcement
including many life-and-death situations. Those of us who got to know Jack a
little bit and started asking questions soon found out that his self-confidence
was earned: he had done things that very few people ever do.
Jack graduated from college and soon became an "Investigator
for the U. S. Treasury Department," as listed in his obituary. In fact,
the locals referred to these investigators as "revenuers." Jack’s
assignment was to find and destroy illegal alcohol distilleries, most of them
privately owned and located in wooded areas. The owners guarded these stills
with shotguns and rifles and were quick to use the firearms.
Jack then enlisted in World War II and ended up in central China
with General Claire Chennault's "Flying Tigers." He saw a lot of enemy
action and lived in primitive conditions. I also spent a lot of time in China
but with one difference: I was there forty years after Jack’s visit. I always
enjoyed hearing Jack’s stories about the conditions in which he lived and the
enemy action he witnessed in the same locations that I saw in peacetime.
After World War II, Jack Duke joined the U.S. Customs Service
and continued to serve in law enforcement until his retirement. In his golden
years, Jack became a technology expert, experimenting and learning everything
he could about computers. He and his bride Eleanor traveled extensively, including
to many genealogy conventions. Talking with Jack and Eleanor was always a pleasure.
We all will miss you, Jack.
Condolences may be sent to Eleanor Duke at jduke1@elp.rr.com
Dick Eastman Online
