Peter Dueck was a man who shared the blessings God gave him.

Mr. Dueck was a member of the Briercrest board of directors for 20 years, serving with presidents Henry Hildebrand, Henry Budd and John Barkman.

His relationship with Briercrest began when Campus Crusade for Christ held a lay institute for evangelism meeting in Caronport.

“Crusade has a really strong emphasis on fulfilling the great commission,” Mr. Dueck’s son Warren said. “That’s really their key mark there and everything kind of coalesces around that goal and I know my father was really taken by Briercrest’s commitment to evangelism and specifically Henry Hildebrand.”

Chancellor John Barkman said Dr. Hildebrand also recognized the skills Mr. Dueck possessed and he wanted those skills on the Briercrest board. 

“Although he was involved in the Gospel and teaching the Word (Dr. Hildebrand) appreciated business and he appreciated businessmen,” Barkman said. “That was a breath of fresh air for a man like Peter Dueck .”

Mr. Dueck’s business background was a valuable asset to the school, according to chancellor Barkman.

“(He had) great wisdom for operations of a place like Briercrest,” he said. “Giving was significant but the wisdom that he had was equally as important.”

The Duecks and the Hildebrands had a special relationship, a bond that grew stronger as the years passed.

“There were lots of organizations my father was associated with but very few that he spent very long with,” Warren said. “Briercrest is very unique in that category and that is a tribute to Briercrest’s leadership.”

Mr. Dueck used his business skills to provide valuable input on the board from 1976-1996. He spoke up when things were in his area of expertise and important to him.

“When he came on the board and we did some building, he said ‘we need to quit building boxes around here, we’ve got to start building something that looks like something’. Not to spend a lot more money, but to dress it up a little bit,” Barkman said.

“Those were the kind of things where he impacted (the board) and he felt pretty strongly, but he also put his money where his mouth was.”

“Peter was totally generous on all fronts,” he said.

“Biblically he understood that God had blessed him and that he had the gift of giving and he enjoyed doing it.”

“He felt that it was important for him to give,” Warren agreed. “That was a gift that he felt that he had -- the ability to give financially. He certainly had been blessed financially in ways that other people had not experienced and he felt strongly about the need to give.”

Mr. Dueck’s interest and commitment to the school never waivered.

“He did have a very strong connection there and, even as his health declined, it was something that he always liked to talk about,” Warren said.

He even wanted updates after Warren returned from his board meetings.

“He just liked to know where Briercrest was going and how things were happening.”

“Briercrest had that unique relationship with him that lasted literally decades. No other organization did he have that long-term relation with.”

Peter Dueck  June 15, 1925 – February 10, 2012