Duncan Thomas Fulton Jr.

Duncan (Big D to his family, Dunk to his friends) passed away on July 16, 2016 after a decade-long battle with Alzheimer’s. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama on May 4, 1927 to Duncan Thomas and Georgia Chandler Fulton. He was raised in LaGrange, Georgia, and attended Young Harris Academy, graduating in 1944. He started college at Auburn University and was inducted into the Navy during WWII and served on the USS Gyatt as a radarman prior to honorable discharge in June of 1946. Upon discharge he returned to Auburn but, due to lack of housing, fortuitously ended up enrolling at the University of Alabama where he met the love of his life, Christine Middlebrooks. He subsequently graduated with a B.S. Degree in Industrial Management in 1949. Soon after, Duncan and Chris married and moved to Louisville, KY, where he began a life-long career with General Automotive Parts Corporation (GAP) working behind the counter of a NAPA store. He held several positions at different locations in the Midwest and Southwestern part of the United States (Nashville, TN; El Paso, TX; and St. Louis, MO) before transferring to the corporate headquarters in Dallas in 1973. In 1980, he was elected President of GAP, and during his tenure he was also voted President of NAPA. In 1983, GAP was acquired by Genuine Parts Company, a public company based in Atlanta, Georgia. At that time, he and Chris moved to Atlanta, and he became Group Vice President. He held that position until retiring in June of 1987, at which time they moved back to Dallas to be close to their sons and their families. Upon retirement, Duncan became an active golfer at the Northwood Club, served on the Board of Directors of several companies, including Elder Rubber Company, San Lorenzo, and CURA, Inc. He also served on the Board of Trustees of Young Harris College located in Young Harris, Georgia, and was a member of the Dallas County Grand Jury in 2006. Throughout this time, he continued with his regular, forty-year long breakfast group from the Quadrant Club. He was an active member of the Methodist Church for his entire life and was most recently a member of University Park United Methodist Church. Big D is predeceased by his parents, Duncan and Georgia; and sister Dot Johns and her husband Gene of Cookeville, TN. He survived by his wife, Christine Fulton; his sons, Duncan T. Fulton III and his wife Kay; John M. Fulton and his wife Meredith; and grandchildren, Greer May and her husband Andrew; Claire Keith and her husband Andy; Duncan T. Fulton IV; Tobin Fulton; and brother Sidney Fulton and his wife Bettye of Knoxville, TN. A memorial service to celebrate Duncan’s life will be held on Saturday, July 23, 2016 at 4:00 PM at University Park United Methodist Church, 4024 Caruth Blvd., Dallas, TX, 75225, with a reception to follow at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to BvB Dallas (an Alzheimer’s research charity co-founded by his granddaughter Greer; bvbdallas.org) or University Park United Methodist Church.