Watson B. Duncan III

Watson B. Duncan III (February 16 1915–February 1991) was an American college professor best known for being the mentor of actor Burt Reynolds.

Duncan began teaching Speech and English at Palm Beach Junior College in the early days of the college's history, eventually rising to the head of the English department.

Reynolds attended Palm Beach Junior College while recuperating at home in Riviera Beach from a football injury he suffered playing for Florida State University. Duncan saw a spark of talent in Reynolds, and asked him to read for a play, Sutton Vane's "Outward Bound", which the college was presenting. Duncan cast Reynolds in the lead role. This eventually led to a scholarship for Reynolds at the Hyde Park Playhouse in New York. Reynolds credits Duncan as the person who has had the most influence in his life.

Years later, Reynolds cast his former teacher as the press secretary to the governor in the movie "Gator", which Reynolds directed and starred in.

Duncan went on to head the English/Communications Department at Palm Beach Junior College for more than thirty years. He also helped to develop the talents of actor Monte Markham and Terry Garrity, author of "The Sensuous Woman".

Professor Duncan was well-known as a gifted Shakespearean actor, and performed frequently in the Shakespeare Festival at Stratford, Ontario. His teaching style reflected that avocation, was flamboyant, dramatic, and rendered his material quite unforgettable. Generations of students remember his shout of "ME MISERABLE!," a trademark of his "Paradise Lost" lectures, and recall his classes as some of the most memorable experiences of their college years.

The people of Palm Beach County have honored Duncan by naming two public buildings for him. The spacious, performing arts theatre on the main campus of Palm Beach Community College in Lake Worth, the Watson B. Duncan III Theatre, serves as a performing arts instructional facility and hosts a variety of cultural and entertainment events for the public. A public middle school in Palm Beach Gardens also bears his name.

Filmography

*"Gator" (1976)