I Am Wilshire – David Duncan.
Hometown: Longview, Texas
Education: B.S., Baylor University; M.Div., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Profession: Environmental manager for a power company (retired)
Present city: Richardson
Tell us about your family.
I have two sons (and daughters-in-law) and a daughter (and son-in-law), three granddaughters and two grandsons. My sons’ families live between Denton and McKinney and my daughter and her husband live in Cypress, Texas. My wife Margaret died in 2016 about six months before our 40th wedding anniversary. She was diagnosed with leukemia in 2014.
What are your favorite hobbies?
Outdoor photography is my primary hobby. Huffines Creek runs behind my house and Huffines Park is a block away, so I usually find plenty of subjects to photograph. Clouds are my very favorite subjects. A second hobby is genealogy.
Where is your favorite place to travel?
Although I have only been there once, in 2011, Colonial Williamsburg is one of my favorite spots, as it was for Margaret. I was pleased to see that archaeologists believe they have discovered the original, permanent structure of First Baptist Church, which was first organized by enslaved and free Blacks.
What brought you to Wilshire and when?
Having become disappointed with the Baptist churches we attended, Margaret and I had stopped attending. About a year after she died, I decided that I needed to get back to church. I knew some members at Wilshire, had read the Inclusion and Diversity Study Report online and saw that this was really a different kind of Baptist church. I visited for about six months before joining on what would have been Margaret’s 62nd birthday, October 8, 2017. She would have loved it here.
Where are you engaged in Wilshire?
I’m a deacon and a Stephen Minister. I’m a member of the Hospitality Ministry Team, Discovery Class, Sanctuary Choir and New Song Community Choir. I volunteer with Friday Friends.
What do you think God is up to in your life right now?
He is teaching me to love more, care more and share more.
What’s something interesting most people wouldn’t know about you?
I once sang on stage at Carnegie Hall during a Baylor A Cappella Choir tour to New York City. Arrangements had been made for us to see Carnegie Hall and we sang “Beautiful Savior” to a mostly empty hall.