Ralph P. Duncan

One of thc bcrt known and rnogt progrerivc rctail lunbcrmcn in Crlifornia ir Ralph P. Duncan, vice-president and g-neral rnanager of the Merccd Lumber compann of- Merced, Callfornia, w_hich operater yardr at Mcrced, Atweter, Liviagrton, Le Grandn TurlocL, Hilma6 Delhi, and Ballico, .A'lwayt en cnthuriartic beliener in thc yalue of agociationr to the. reteil lumberman, he ir a director of the California Retail Lunbenncn'r Arocbti,on, and har given uartintingly of his tine and tLought to the work of helping to Lrakc tf,ir body of gr.ater rervicc to thc yetailcrr of the State.

Mr. Duncan came to California more than twenty yeerr ago, in. January, lglQ to be exact, and goon after hir arrival went to work for the Ylncey Lumbci'Company in their Pattcreon yard, where Le renaiued until 1g15. Leaviug Pattcreou hc went to Freeno, where he worked at booLkeeper in the yard of the Facctt f.umber Company for a ycar, end froro, therc wcnt to Mantcca, to becone agociatsd with the Home Lumber Courpann and etayed there until 1920.

He then spent a year in Arizone, in charge .of the hmber department of thc J. Knox Corbett Lurnber and Hardware Compauy at Tucron, and left thir potition to return to Califonria to eell lunber wholcaale on the road for the Cooe Bay Lumber Conpany. ln thit work hc 6rrt covcrcd the Alameda and Contra Corta Coun- tier territory, and later workcd the San Joaquin Vallcy. Bcing ofiercd the nanrge- ment of a yard opencd at Frerno by the J. D. Halrtced Lunber Conpann'he ac9?pted- thir poqitionn leaving there in l9?.4 to go to Mcrccd to taLe chergc of the Merced Lumbcr. Company, which har grown and prorpercd undcr hir guidancg.

Brielly, it can be raid that Mr. Duncan ir in favor of everything'that ir for the bettermcnt of the rctail lumber and building matcrial indurtry- HJ ir tctivc in co. op€rating with farm advieers, and with v-ocational agricultural inrtructorr in the rchoolr in hie varioue yard dirtricte. Hc take conridcrablc interert in rnd lcndr rup- port to the Boy Scout movement, and ir an activc Roteriaa.

Ar a good meny lumbermen have already dircovercd, hc plryi a good ganc of golf, and it ir raid thet hic 12 handicap would roon bc lcr if he had norc tinrc to devote to the gamc.