In Memoriam

Duncan Scott McGowan

December 6, 1941 -March 18, 1992

Duncan McGowan was born in Trenton, NJ and attended Lawrenceville.  At Yale he was captain of the varsity rifle team and a member of Phi Gamma Delta and Cannon and Castle Military Honor Society. He stayed at Yale for an M.A. in architecture in 1968, followed by service in the U.S. Army for two years.

Duncan settled in New Hampshire with his wife, Mary Strayer. First they were in Nashua, where he worked as a community planner. Subsequently they moved to Concord, with the firm of McGowan Brook Reno Architects and Planners. He was active in several civic ventures, including the Trust for New Hampshire Lands. He designed Eagle Square in Concord, and re-worked the Cooper-Stevens estate, a prominent Victorian mansion.

Duncan wrote a lengthy memoir for our 25th Reunion Book, describing his various journeys, often on a bicycle, that led to his decision to be in a "small pond" in Concord. He also wrote touchingly about his many years of suicidal tendency.  He was survived by his wife Mary, and daughters Molly and Abigail.

The New Hampshire Historical Society created a fund in his name "to support the beautification and public enjoyment of Eagle Square."