Longtime Fort Carson employee dies

by Rick Emert, Fort Carson Mountaineer staff

John “Jack” Duggan, a World War II veteran who retired after 30 years as a Department of the Army Civilian at Fort Carson, died Feb. 1 in Colorado Springs at the age of 81.

Duggan served for four years in the Navy during World War II before becoming a DA civilian in what is now the Directorate of Logistics. He retired from government service in January 1993.

“He was proud of his Navy days and loved working at Fort Carson,” said Duggan’s daughter, Sue Roberson. “My dad was an awesome man; we were very proud of him.”

Duggan was big on family – his own and the families of those who worked for him, said Steve McCoy, deputy commander, Fort Carson U.S. Army Garrison. McCoy worked for Duggan beginning in the early 1980s.

“He was a great family man; he always talked about his children and his wife. He made sure that … as the deputy director, time was taken out for people to relax when they needed to. He was very big on Christmas and organizational days – making sure that people got time away from work to spend time with the their families and have their families come in.”

His 30 years in the logistics field culminated with Duggan becoming the deputy director of Industrial Operations, the precursor to what is now DOL, McCoy said.

He was a “mentor and coach as I was coming up in my career,” he said. “I worked for him for quite a long time. I learned a lot from him. He didn’t pull any punches; when you deserved a chewing, he gave you a chewing. By the same token, he was all about making sure employees were recognized and rewarded for their efforts.

“He was very straightforward and down-to-earth – very easy to get along with for the most part. But, when it came to business, it was business.”

Although he was fair and dedicated to staff and family, he was not one to spend much time socializing, McCoy said.

“He wasn’t a person long on words, so if you had a conversation with him, he just kind of cut to the chase, the bottom line,” he said. “Anytime he addressed the workforce, he was kind of the same way. But (he was) a hard worker, dedicated, loved Soldiers and Families, thought the world of the workforce. Even after he retired – even up to just prior to his death – he continued to stay in contact with a lot of individuals who he had worked with for many years. Fort Carson never left his heart.”

And, it seems, he never left the hearts of those he knew at Fort Carson.

“We always got together during Christmas time,” McCoy said. “We would go out and get a bite to eat somewhere and catch up on things. It was at those times that he would ask about individuals who he had worked with for many years, what they were doing. He was invited to all of the retirement ceremonies for a lot of people that he served with and always had a few words to say about them.

“He was a great individual. I was glad to see him get as many years of retirement as he did, because he certainly deserved it.”

Duggan is survived by his wife of 60 years, Betty; his sister, Carrie Willwerth; his four children, Roberson, Kevin Duggan, Scott Duggan, Kim Warren and their spouses; his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

The family asks that any donations made go to Pikes Peak Hospice.