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Lauren "Duke" Hobbs '47 January 15, 2021 9:16 AM updated: January 15, 2021 10:05 AM

L.D. "Duke" Hobbs
February 27, 1926 - January 07, 2021

Lauren Dale “Duke” Hobbs, veteran, businessman, educator, and philanthropist, died on January 7, 2021. He was born February 27, 1926, in Cherokee, Iowa, the son of Laurence and Sadie Hobbs. In 1929, Duke’s father died, and the boy was sent to live with his Norwegian immigrant Grandparents on their farm near McCallsburg, Iowa. That year on the farm and the summers from 1937 to 1944 he would spend in Iowa with his relatives were formative and remained some his fondest memories. Duke was always proud of his Scandinavian heritage and made several trips to Norway. In 1930, his mother married John Wallace, a funeral director in Cherokee. Seeking a fresh start, in October of 1936, the family set off for California. Stopping in Pecos, Texas, for a dime’s worth of paper plates, Wallace learned that the local funeral home needed a new undertaker. So it was that Duke grew up in Pecos.

In September 1943, Duke enrolled in Texas A & M University. After completing his freshman year, he was drafted and served two years in the US Army in the European Theater. He served with distinction, earning a Combat Infantry Badge, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and two battle stars.

Duke returned to Texas A & M in the fall of 1946 and graduated three years later with a commission in the Air Force. He served four years as an Intelligence Officer in the Strategic Air Command.

He met Laura Loyless on a blind date, and on Valentine’s Day 1948 they were married. Duke was the proud father of four sons. An Eagle Scout, Duke was a Scoutmaster and merit badge counselor. The family took many memorable summer vacations all across the country. He and Laura were married for almost 73 years.

Duke worked for Procter & Gamble and then the W.L. Gordon Co., merchandise brokers, in Dallas, Texas, where the family had settled. As vice president, he grew one of the largest non-food organizations in the industry. In 1986, Duke returned to Texas A&M to teach in the Management Department and direct the Center for Executive Development, to which numerous American and international companies sent executives for specialized training. In the early 1990, Duke was asked by officials of the Soviet Union to assist in establishing a market economy in that country, and he led several executive development programs for Soviet officials both at A&M and in the USSR.

Proud of being an Aggie, he supported many A&M organizations. For more than 20 years he was a Class Agent for the Class of ’47. He was a faculty advisor to student organizations and was named Professor of the Year by the Management Society in 1989. He spoke at many Aggie Musters across the state. Duke contributed generously to university scholarship programs, the Corps of Cadets, and he donated all of the proceeds from the sale of his book, I knew I Was an Aggie When… to the Cushing Memorial Library. In 2018, the University presented Duke with the Distinguished Alumnus Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a former student of Texas A&M University.

Duke was politically engaged. In 1976 he served as a delegate to the Republican Party’s National Convention.

Sadly, in 2020, that party’s elected leaders failed adequately to address the virus that contributed to his passing.

Duke is survived by wife Laura, sons David (Sharon), Mark (Carolyn), Keith (John), and Stuart (Jamie); by his grandchildren Terence, Alicia, and Sarah, and by great grandchildren Joey, Charlotte, Leah, and Shea; as well as by his brothers John and David Wallace, and sister Sara Pitcher. Duke was preceded in death by his parents, his step-father, and his granddaughter Laura.

Interment services will be held on February 5, 2021, at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. A Celebration of Life will be held after the end of the pandemic.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, by clicking on the link :

http://Give.am/support

Or, you may mail checks payable to The Texas A&M Foundation, 401 George Bush Dr., College Station, TX 77840 - and note “Cushing Library Endowment” in the check’s note field.






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