The son of Marie and Charles
Lawrence Duncan, Larry was born
on December 14,1943 in Berkeley,
California, where his father worked
at the Cyclotron at the Lawrence
Radiation Labs. The family moved
to several locations around the
Bay Area during his childhood,
settling in East Palo Alto in 1954.
There he attended Ravenswood
High School, forming close
friendships with, among others,
Ron McKernan, a future member
of the Grateful Dead. Larry earned
his GED, and as a dedicated autodidact, he pursued various interests in classes with the Midpeninsula Free University, as well as with a creative drop-in computer center in Menlo Park in the early days of personal computing. Always an avid reader, and a lover of bookstores, he amassed several libraries over his lifetime, with subjects ranging from eclectic architecture to fractals. At one point in the 1960’s he helped to build the Stanford Linear Accelerator. A gifted artist, he designed posters for the Be-Ins at El Camino Park, worked to bring music to Lytton Plaza, and helped create the Community Garden at the Drop-in Center.
For many years Larry was unhoused, living in encampments in the oak groves of Stanford University. In time, this led to him becoming an articulate spokesman for the rights of those who struggle to get a roof over their heads. Always objecting to the term “homeless”, he taught that those who are unhoused in Palo Alto are not homeless: Palo Alto is their home. In his role as community activist, he served with the Community Working Group, The Homelessness Task Force, Stanford Homelessness Action Coalition, and on boards of the Urban Ministry. His advocacy on behalf of his community helped to bring about the creation of the Opportunity Center.
Larry’s warmth, kindness, and gentle humor won him friends from all walks of life, so a stroll down University Avenue with him (bearing his gnarled staff before) might include stopping and chatting with the Chief of Police, a street musician, a local shopkeeper, or a city-council member. Of late, at Lytton Gardens he enjoyed the company of the current events and poetry group members, the staff, and his neighbors.
He sought patterns in the world around him, loving the shape of branches against the sky, brightly woven fabrics, twinkling lights, an eloquent turn of phrase, wind chimes, smooth pebbles, trade beads, mathematical constructions, and puzzles. He delighted in serendipity, synchronicity, and whimsical coincidences.
Larry died on January 7th, 2014, following chronic health problems. He leaves his sister Maralyn Riedel (Hans) of Petaluma, and his niece, Jennifer Riedel (Shawn Malikowski), and nephew, Eric Riedel (Selena), along with a host of devoted friends. He will be sorely missed.