Service to honor Duckwall

By Chan Tran
Daily Forty-Niner

Ralph Duckwall touched the lives of many during his time as chairman of the Cal State Long Beach theatre arts department by always encouraging and supporting his students and building a stronger theatre arts program.

Ralph died of a heart attack Sept. 18 in Sanders, Ariz., while returning from a family trip to Albuquerque, N.M., where he and his wife, Mariam, had spent the weekend with his son Joe and daughter-in-law Sarah. Ralph was 78.

Those who knew Ralph said he motivated and supported almost everybody he came in contact with.

"He was the department mentor for me," said Lou Pass, the theatre department administrative assistant from 1962 to 1992. "He certainly enlightened everyone he came in touch with."

Claire Betar, who was the department secretary from 1974 to 1984, recalls the day he was there to cheer her on when she received her master's degree from CSULB.

"The day I got my master's degree, he and his wife were standing there with kazoos," Betar said. "Earlier that day he came with a basket of flowers in each hand. One for me for doing it and one for Mrs. Pass for motivating me."

"He was wonderful, because he commanded respect without demanding respect," she said. "He's just one of those magical people."
Ralph died of a heart attack in Sanders when the family stopped for gasoline and refreshments. While Ralph was in the bathroom he became dizzy. He had been suffering from emphysema and was on 24-hour oxygen treatment.

"I stood him next to the counter and said 'just stand there, it will all be OK'," Mariam said. "His knees began to chuckle and he fell down."

"His last words were 'I've never felt dizzy like this before'," she said. "The only thing I could say is he died quickly and painlessly and in my arms, and I don't know what more I could have asked."

The doctors in Sanders said it was likely a heart attack, Mariam said, who expressed her gratitude to the compassionate people in the tiny town.

The Duckwalls were married in 1951 but divorced in 1956. They remarried 1975 after 19-years apart.

"This December would have been our 25th anniversary and next year our 50th anniversary," she said.

He served as chairman of the theatre arts department from 1971 until he retired in 1986. He entered the department in 1966 as a professor of theatre arts, scene designer.

Among his accomplishments as chairman was putting together a master's degree in fine arts and theatre through the program. He would also bring the Royal Shakespeare Company every year to teach the students during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Betar said.

"We were building the department at the time." Betar said. "The MFA of fine arts and theatre came under his leadership."

Ralph is survived by Mariam, who lives in La Jolla, Calif., and his daughter Lynn in Lansing, Mich., and son Joe who lives in Albuquerque, N.M., with his wife, Sarah. They also have a grandson, Joey.

An informal memorial will be held Friday at 3 p.m. on the University Theatre stage.