James Duncan Sr., Class of '48

Distinguished Alumni Award

Former Kalamazoo resident James H. Duncan Sr., who retired as chairman and CEO of First National Financial Corp. in 1985, was instrumental in establishing the nation's first interchange system—now MasterCard—and the credit card model used by Bank of America for BankAmericard—now Visa.

Duncan attended WMU from 1945 to 1950, when he joined First National Bank of Kalamazoo, which became First of America Bank and now is PNC. He served as president and CEO of First National Bank and Trust of Michigan from 1969 to 1977.

During his banking career, Duncan was the founding secretary and later president of the National Charge Account Bankers Association, a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, vice president of the board of directors for the American Bankers Association and president of the Michigan Bankers Association.

Duncan was an active member of both the WMU and Kalamazoo communities. He was involved in numerous local organizations and served as a director of the WMU Foundation as well as a trustee of Kalamazoo College.

The Duncan Grand Courtyard outside WMU's Schneider Hall was made possible through a gift from the James Duncan Jr. family.

Now a resident of Santa Fe, N.M., Duncan continues to devote time to civic affairs. He served on the board of directors of the Community Bank of Santa Fe and is involved with such organizations as the New Mexico Museum of Arts and Culture, the Santa Fe Community Foundation, and the School for Advanced Research.

WMU recognized Duncan's professional accomplishments and support of the University by granting him an Honorary Doctor of Law degree in 1982 and a Distinguished Alumni Award in 1983.