Scott Duncan’s Trans-Pacific Work for Peace

Since 2011, Scott Duncan has been deeply involved with the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Before that, he worked as the head of fundraising at the American Friends Service Committee for eight years. Both played an important role in Scott's life-long pursuit of a more just and peaceful world.

But Scott wasn't always a Quaker.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Scott did not encounter Quakerism until he had graduated college and was completing a fellowship at the East West Center in Honolulu, Hawai'i.

"I had to travel 6,000 miles from Philadelphia to find Quakerism," Scott said in a recent phone interview.

Quakerism aligned with his existing desire to build a more peaceful world.

"It was just a consolidation of putting what I felt so strongly about in my social work with the peace work-that Quakerism was the place to be."

"It was just a consolidation of putting what I felt so strongly about in my social work with the peace work-that Quakerism was the place to be," Scott continued.

For much of his life, Scott worked for the Peace Corps, including serving as Thailand's country director and establishing the first Peace Corps office in the Republic of Georgia. After returning to the United States, Scott began advocating against U.S. foreign military intervention through his involvement with Quaker organizations.

Scott has served as an FCNL General Committee member, Executive Committee member, and is both an Annual Fund and Planned Giving donor . He cares deeply about young adult programs and has recruited students from Salisbury University to attend FCNL's Spring Lobby Weekend.

In early July, Scott spoke with me about the importance of peace work in his life and his involvement with FCNL.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

How and why did you become involved with FCNL?

I first ran into FCNL when I was head of the fundraising department at AFSC in Philadelphia, and a friend of mine was in the development department at FCNL. When I retired here in Salisbury, Maryland, I became interested in FCNL and started to donate money to support their lobbying efforts. That's the way I got introduced to the notion of citizen lobbying. I was just so impressed with the thoroughness and the clarity of the work that the staff did at FCNL.

What FCNL policy issues do you most care about?

Since I spent a lot of my life overseas in different countries, I've seen the effects that can happen when the United States strengthens the military of a friendly country. These governments can become brutal and use the strength of their military to subject their own citizens. I've always felt that our attempt to strengthen our presence abroad in that way is not a good direction to go.

Since I spent a lot of my life overseas in different countries, I've seen the effects that can happen when the United States strengthens the military of a friendly country.

How did your experiences in the Peace Corps influence your decision to adopt an anti-war stance?

I was stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam War. The military bases that permitted the bombing of Laos and Cambodia and Vietnam-several of those were in regions that we had Peace Corps volunteers in, which was part of my responsibilities.

You could just see the effects of these huge amounts of money that came into a country like Thailand. It went to things that were not productive for the people there, though it may have been productive for the elite and the Thai military, for example.

What makes you excited about the work FCNL is currently doing?

The Advocacy Teams that FCNL now has, which work on local constituents of Congresspeople, and write letters to the editor, and organize rallies and educational opportunities for people all over the United States-I just think they are so terrific and so needed.

This kind of advocacy does not come from a place that assumes people need to change because they are inherently evil.

This kind of advocacy does not come from a place that assumes people need to change because they are inherently evil. No, we want to bring out the best in them and show them a way that the world can be repaired.

Scott Duncan will be retiring from his position on the General Committee this fall. We are so grateful for his continued support of FCNL, which empowers new generations to continue Quaker advocacy.

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