Charles Duncan, a former dean of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication whose graceful columns appeared in The Register-Guard for more than a decade, died May 27 of lung cancer. He was 83.

He had been living in White Salmon, Wash., after leaving Eugene in 1991. His 55-year career included work as a journalism professor, newspaper reporter, author and columnist. Those who knew Duncan said he left a huge mark on journalism, Eugene civic affairs and the art of writing.

"He was involved like an octopus throughout the community: the arts, music, the University, civic clubs," UO journalism professor Arnold Ismach said. "The guy really was admired and respected."

Alton Baker Jr., former editor and publisher of The Register-Guard, added, "He was a great citizen and a great teacher. He genuinely liked people, and they responded by liking him."

Born May 20, 1914, in Marietta, Minn., Duncan received his bachelor's degree in 1936 from the University of Minnesota, where he later earned his master's. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Minnesota before taking his first job as a journalism instructor at the University of Nevada in 1940. Duncan and his first wife, Gretchen, were married in 1940. He served in the U.S. Navy Reserve during World War II.

Duncan also taught at four other universities. He began working at the UO School of Journalism in 1950. He was a professor, journalism school dean (1955-62) and associate dean of faculties (1965-71) before retiring in 1979. At UO, he earned the respect of colleagues and students. Duncan demanded perfection from students, but treated them with respect and compassion.

"He was a straight-arrow, old-school sort of prof whom you chuckled about on the first day of class but lauded on the last," said Bob Welch, '76, now The Register-Guard's features editor.

Former UO President Robert Clark said he was grateful for Duncan's advice as dean of faculties during the Vietnam War protests. "Those were the critical days of student unrest, and he was a source of great strength," Clark said. "He was sympathetic and understanding of the students but saw the necessity of drawing certain lines."

One of Duncan's most enduring traits, however, was his ability to write with grace, style and a sense of humor, friends and colleagues said."He had a talent for writing, for sure," said Ken Ghent, a retired UO math professor and friend. "He had a very gentle sense of humor. You never had a sense that he was being unfair to anyone. He treated people in a very gentlemanly way, yet he was very firm in his positions."

After retiring from UO, Duncan contributed columns to The Register-Guard. Many columns dealt with everyday subjects in an unusual way. He chastised weather forecasters and journalists for couching rain in negative terms. He counted 118 varieties of cereal at the supermarket. He found his first pair of walking shoes in a store packed with specialized athletic shoes.

"He was a delight to read and a pleasure to work with," said Don Robinson, editorial page editor of The Register-Guard. "He had a graceful style and a subdued but almost always active sense of humor. A proper Minnesota sense of humor, you might say."

Duncan was the author or editor of three books: An Overland Journey, Bob Frazier of Oregon, and An Orange for Christmas, a compilation of Duncan's columns that appeared in The Register-Guard. He was involved in civic causes including the Oregon Bach Festival and the Mount Pisgah Arboretum. Duncan moved to Portland in 1991 after wife Gretchen died, then married again. He and his wife, Ruth, moved to White Salmon a year later.

Memorial services were held at First Congregational Church in Eugene. Survivors include his wife, Ruth, two daughters, a son, and six grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Oregon Bach Festival or the Mount Pisgah Arboretum.

Editors' Note: This obituary is based on an article published in The Register-Guard and written by Lance Robertson.