1972

scmintern@scu.edu

Verdun Lee “Duke” Place MBA ’72 was born in Bellingham, Washington, in 1938 and grew up in Glacier, Washington. He graduated from Mt. Baker High School in 1956. His first job was greasing his dad’s logging trucks for $.25 per hour. During his high school years, he worked in the family business, Northwest Cycle, and worked and played at the Mount Baker ski area. After two years in the U.S. Navy aboard the U.S. Hornet, he attended the University of Washington and graduated in 1962 with a degree in electrical engineering. In 1972 Duke obtained a masters degree in business from SCU. Duke worked at several firms in Silicon Valley, including Ampex, Varian, Tandem, Measurex, and Honeywell as director of manufacturing and as a specialist in rare earths acquisition. Duke passed away at his home in Pismo Beach, California, on Dec. 8, 2017. He is survived by his wife, Rayma, of California; his son, Jason; daughters Dianne Denton and Tara Wallace of Tulsa, Oklahoma; brother Tim of southern Oregon; and sister Susan Olmo of San Diego, California. Duke will be remembered for his outgoing, friendly manner and ferocious attention to detail in all things. He enjoyed nothing more than lounging on his deck overhanging the Pacific Ocean, sipping a little zinfandel, and touting the superiority of his Tesla over every other car made, including Phil’s Corvette.

08 Nov 2018