Donor Legacies
Duncan & Ruth Baxter
Gift of a Lifetime
Mr. Duncan Baxter established the Duncan and Ruth Baxter Fund to provide funding for worthy projects in the Portsmouth area.
Mr. Duncan Baxter was born in Motherwell, Scotland, in 1912, to Thomas and Janet Baxter. In 1920, his family came to America and settled in Detroit, Michigan. It was where Duncan was educated and raised.
In 1931, Duncan took a position of payroll clerk at the Detroit Steel Corporation (DSC). For the next thrity-nine years Duncan worked at DSC and through a series of promotions, he became vice president and general manager of the Portsmouth Division. In 1970, at age fivety-eight, Duncan retired from DCS to take a new position, one of public service to his community.
Duncan was dedicated to the advancement of higher education in Southern Ohio. He was one of the prime movers in establishing the full-time Ohio University Portsmouth Branch Campus (OUP). He was a member of the advisory board of trustees of OUP and the OUP Development Fund. Duncan was also a member of the board of trustees of Shawnee State Community College and a member of Ohio University’s Board of Trustees in Athens. In addition to educational causes Duncan volunteered his leadership with other local charities. He was an active leader of the United Fund, the advisory board of Mercy Hospital, and the Salvation Army. Duncan was also a member of Second Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Baxter served on civic and professional association boards such as the Auto Club of Southern Ohio, the American Iron and Steel Institute, the Portsmouth Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Portsmouth Rotary Club. Duncan also served as director of the National Bank of Portsmouth.
In 1974, Duncan become the founding chairman and later a member of the governing board of the Scioto County Area Foundation, currently called the Scioto Foundation. He served on the Governing Board for 13 years, 1974-1987.
In addition to his career and public service, Duncan Baxter was a devoted husband and dedicated father. He married Ruth P. Reagin on October 2, 1937. Together they raised two children Martha Ruth Baxter Potts and Dale Keith Baxter. Sadly, Ruth passed away in 1978.
To commemorate their life together, Duncan established the Ruth & Duncan Baxter Fund in 1979. As a man who was constantly looking for a better future for the Portsmouth area, Duncan established an unrestricted fund, permitting the foundation to meet the changing community needs through community grants. Through establishing this fund, their legacy of community pride and good works will never be forgotten.