Tulsa woman named to Will Rogers Heritage board

Will Rogers Heritage
Jim Hartz, Will Rogers Heritage president, and Gordona Duca, former Claremore and businesswoman, who has been named to the Heritage board.

Gordona Duca, a 1958 Tulsa Will Rogers High School graduate and former Tulsa and Claremore real estate firm owner, is the first new member of the Will Rogers Heritage.

Will Rogers Heritage is the foundation support of the museum.

Formerly made up of members of the Will Rogers Memorial Commission appointed by Oklahoma’s governor, WR Heritage reorganized in May of 2009. By-laws stipulate only three sitting Commission members can serve on the board — the chairman, vice chairman and family member. Jim Hartz is president and Steve Turnbo is vice president. Kem Rogers, Will Rogers' grandson, represents the family. Duca’s appointment was approved at the August meeting. More board members will be added.

“I think it is safe to say I can vouch for Gordona, since I’ve known her since we were in kindergarten together in Tulsa,” Hartz said.

“When I sold my company, I said I would never go to another meeting, I know you should never say never. I know I will enjoy it,” Duca said.

Will Rogers Heritage, which has grown with development of Friends of Will Rogers, will be launching additional fund-raising efforts.

Will Rogers has been a part of Duca’s life since childhood when her mother brought her to the museum. “My mother and aunt loved Will Rogers. He was their favorite personality growing up in Chickasha. My mother liked to visit the museum and stay at the Will Rogers Hotel to take the mineral baths.”

When she started Will Rogers High School, learning about Will Rogers was part of the new student orientation. “It was always a big deal,” she said. The school opened in 1939. Duca has been inducted into the WRHS Hall of Fame and was involved in renovation of the school’s Will Rogers exhibits a few years ago.

Her interest in Will Rogers never faded. She saw the "Will Rogers Follies,” starring Larry Gatlin in New York and saw it again in the Tulsa road show.

Duca earned her real estate license in 1971 and was recognized locally and nationally as an outstanding sales person in residential sales. In 1975, with three sales agents and no staff, she formed her own firm — Gordona Duca Inc. Realtors. She built it into one of the leading real estate companies in the state, at one time having almost 300 employees. When she sold to Coldwell Banker in December 2002, she had offices and agencies in Tulsa and other northeastern Oklahoma towns, including Claremore.

She has been active at all levels in the real estate industry including many years on the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission. She served on the Kansas City Federal Reserve Board, Oklahoma City branch.

Duca has a history in community involvement, personally as well as her company. She has worked in Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority, Tulsa Junior League, University of Tulsa and Tulsa Philharmonic.

In addition to scholarships for students at Will Rogers High School, she and her real estate company sponsored schools in all the towns where they were located. One of the first companies to adopt a Tulsa school, they adopted Grissom.

Duca was honored in 1997 as the Oklahoma Woman of the Year.