[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 100 (Tuesday, July 9, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1221]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E1221]]


                 TRIBUTE TO ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' DUNCAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 9, 1996

  Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, May 30, 1996, was an important day in the 
small McCreary hamlet of Silerville. Also called Strunk, the collection 
of scattered homes and former commercial buildings is located between 
Toeward and State Line. Robert C. ``Bobby'' Duncan completed his 
fiftieth year in the general merchandise business at the corner of Old 
U.S. 27 and State Rt. 1470. That day, his anniversary passed like most 
of the previous 15,500 days--closed only on Sunday and Christmas. Local 
residents stopped to buy gas, milk, bread, and hardware, and to discuss 
current events.
  When Duncan's General Store opened in the spring of 1946, Harry 
Truman was President. Republican Simeon Willis was the Governor of 
Kentucky. Highway U.S. 27 was a major north-south route from Florida to 
Michigan. Young soldiers came home on the Greyhound bus, but often 
would have to take U.S. 27 north to find work. As the country recovered 
from World War II, tourists were stopping for gas and refreshments.
  Change has been a constant requirement for Duncan's General Store. 
The building, however, looks remarkably like it did in 1946. The gray, 
two-story, tin-roofed building with its pot-bellied coal stove has not 
changed. Change has occurred with the needs of customers. Although 
Bobby Duncan has never changed locations, advertised or conducted a 
sale he is a perceptive marketer. He adapted as service stations sprang 
up to cater to travelers and as Interstate 75 diverted thousands of 
motorists 30 miles away. When futurists predicted that supermarkets 
would destroy mom and pop groceries, he shifted his primary product 
lines. Dry goods from Shaw shoes to Big Ben overalls were replaced by 
the new consumer products flooding America. Groceries carried out in 
Campbell soup paper boxes were reduced to make way for hardware and 
specialty items for mining and logging. Today, convenience items and 
gas have reemerged along with hard-to-find items. Former State Senator 
and merchant O.O. Duncan once said, ``sooner or later everyone in the 
county goes to Bobby's store to find items that no one else has.''
  For three generations children from Strunk, Marsh Creek, Murphy 
Ridge, and Pine Knot have enjoyed trips to Bobby Duncan's. His endless 
patience with a 6-year-old customer who has a quarter to spend on mixed 
candy has ensured that successive generations know the joy of bon bons, 
rock candy, and orange drops mixed in a small brown paper sack. Nickel 
RC's and cakes are not available today, but the price was never as 
important as the considerations and kindness shown to tiny, often 
barefoot customers.
  Adults frequent Duncan's store for many reasons. The store provides a 
cohesiveness for the community. Sitting on the front porch on the old 
church pew or on the nail keg next to the warm fire, smelling kerosene 
fumes or pickled pig's feet, you feel that the world has slowed. The 
conversations of the current generation of Murphy's, Ball's, Bairds, 
Trammells, are important. They come to the store to tell their stories, 
to inquire about their neighbors, or to express their views on 
political issues. They come to listen and to be heard. Bobby Duncan 
serves as a tax adviser, building consultant, agronomist, scribe, 
lawyer, minister, funeral singer, arbitrator, and friend. His services 
are often more important than his wares.
  I don't know how many years Duncan's General Store will survive. A 
business that sells shoes and saddles, hair pins and horseshoes, Tide 
and tires, feed and seed, with true personal service is unique in 
today's world. Congratulations on a successful 50 years, Bobby Duncan.

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