Betty Duncan

I am saddened to hear we lost Betty. Betty and Leo were a vital part of the Marin YMCA and very important to me and many others. Betty and I shared a great joy in crazy earrings. She was such a support to me when I started working at the YMCA and when I became the executive director was one of the first to congratulate me. I missed seeing her every day at the YMCA and at our campaign meetings. Her smile and positive attitude was a blessing to all of us. I have moved out of the state so...

About five years ago I called Betty out of the blue. It had been 27 years since I had last seen or spoken to her. She was my fifth grade teacher in 1976-77. She was so happy to hear from me, and remembered exactly who I was. I was taking a trip to the Bay Area and she graciously invited me over to her house to catch up on old times. She looked older (and we thought she was old back then!), but she was definitely the same person I remember guiding us through that fifth grade year. Her...

My brother, Will, who was also in Betty Duncan's class forwarded the news of Mrs. Duncan's death to me. The news touched me deeply. Mrs. Duncan inspired both of us to become teachers. Will has been teaching elementary school for about 15 years while I have taught high school for the same amount of time. I cannot express how much Mrs. Duncan touched my life and shaped my future. She gave me a great deal of stability and inspiration during my time in her class. Believe it or not, I still...

My mom just called tell me that she saw Betty's obituary in the IJ. I have lived in Pennsylvania for 10 years and over the years Betty and I have maintained our strong friendship.
I had Betty as my teacher for 4th and 5th grade in the infamous Room 3 at Reed School. It was during this time that I gave her the title "Miss Universe"-one that I continued to use for more than 35 years. In school Betty shared her love for quilting, the Mayans and Aztecs, chess, reading and respect for one...