Long-time Route 66 booster Carol Duncan passes away
Carol at the opening of the Anthony Ross exhibition in El Reno in 2007. Photo courtesy of Shellee Graham.
Friend and long-time Route 66 advocate Carol Duncan has passed away. She was 80 years old.
Mable Carol Duncan was born in Cordell, Oklahoma on August 8th, 1943 to Donald and Henrietta Duncan, but lived most of her life in Clinton. Carol always had a passion for history and had been a part of our Association since its earliest days. She wasn’t just another name on a membership register, though – she was a doer.
From Secretary to District Rep to Western Vice President, she pitched in with enthusiasm. It was Carol, along with Darrell Ray of Joplin, that championed the idea of Will Rogers Highway roadside monuments. This work led to multiple granite markers being installed across the state; the first Association-funded marker went up in Texola in 2002. Carol was an integral part of fundraising efforts, notably for Clinton’s Rio Siesta Motel sign that she and Don Mullenix worked together to rescue. Those funds are still reserved for that project, which is awaiting restoration in partnership with the Billboard Museum and the Oklahoma Historical Society.
Carol at the unveiling of the Texola Will Rogers Highway marker in 2002. Photo Courtesy of Brad Nickson.
Carol helped organize car cruises, including our first one in 1992. She would often be the first to arrive, setting up the registration table to make sure it all went smoothly. She led efforts to get more Route 66 books in local libraries, helped paint shields on the road, organized and participated in Andy Payne relays, worked the Association booth at events…whatever needed doing to keep Historic Route 66 alive. She researched and wrote stories that celebrated the highway, including co-authoring a book about the ill-fated Hotel Calmez in Clinton. She even published her own newsletter to make sure Western Oklahoma was not forgotten.
Carol was inducted into the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame in 2012 alongside the man she worked hard to recognize along the road that bore his name: Will Rogers.
Carol receiving her Hall of Fame Award in Clinton. Photo courtesy of Brad Nickson.
Even in the last few years, her passion for the Mother Road seemed bottomless. She was seen at most Association board meetings with her briefcase, which was full of ideas to promote the road. In 2020, she let us know she would be happy to serve as our Western Vice President again if we needed her. She was also working on a second book with W. Edward Rolison covering the life of western Oklahoma businessman Sam Hawks.
Carol Duncan, like the road she championed, will never be forgotten. We are indebted to her for years of passionate advocacy and we will miss her very much.
Carol is survived by her sister, Donna Sue Gorshing and husband, Larry and nephew, Lee Gorshing and a great-niece, Kaler Gorshing and great nephew Jacob Gorshing.
