A. Clark Duncan, a longtime scenic designer in the Performing Arts Department at the College of Santa Fe, died Friday at his niece's home in Wayne, Pa. He was 74.

Duncan taught and worked at the college from 1986 to 2006, before retiring to Wayne, not far from his birthplace of Bryn Mawr, Pa. After studying scenic design at Yale University, Duncan worked in professional theater for more than 20 years before joining the college's faculty.

"His portfolio was so impressive that there wasn't any question that he would be a tremendous asset to the theater program and to our students," recalled John Weckesser, former chair of the college's Performing Arts Department. "His fundamental nature was very positive, and that's always a big plus in this business."

Duncan was a regular fixture in his office in the Greer Garson Theatre on the college campus, which he shared for years with his beloved dog, known as Wheels or Wheelies. Among his designing credits at the college were The Diary of Anne Frank, Dracula, The Time of Your Life, and his last, Urinetown, in the spring of 2006.

Henry Haymann, a set designer who attended Yale with Duncan and remained a lifelong friend, said Duncan had "a wonderful flair for creating sets that were over the top. But he could also do very elegant, minimalist stuff."

Chris Leslie, artistic executive director of Pandemonium Productions in Santa Fe and a former student of Duncan's, said he would often call his former mentor for suggestions and ideas.

"He was one of the most creative people I ever worked with," Leslie said. "He was one of those guys who always came to work with his shoes covered in paint and a holey shirt splashed with paint, and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He could stare at a piece of blank plywood, and 20 minutes later you'd have an amazing design or backdrop painted on it."

Leslie said Duncan, who loved to cook, would often prepare Thanksgiving dinners for students who were staying in town during that holiday weekend. Duncan's niece, Susan Ramee, said Duncan cooked for her family every night for the past two years.

"His students meant everything to him," she said. "He loved being at the college, he loved his office, and when I went to visit him there he would get up in the morning, take the newspaper down to his office to hang out, and stay there all day. He was always on tap for his students. To the day he died, there were a lot of students still involved with him. Maybe because he never had children he became a surrogate parent."

Duncan was diagnosed with lung cancer about the time he retired from the collage, Weckesser said. Haymann and Ramee said his health improved when he relocated to Pennsylvania, in part because he was no longer living in a such a high altitude. He was in good spirits until about a week before his death, they said.

According to Ramee, Duncan's last words were, "And my grand-niece doesn't know how to make a martini."

"She was 3 when he moved here, and he said it would be his job to teach her how to make a martini," Ramee said. "I think that was his way of saying goodbye."

Duncan is also survived by his sister, Ethel Ramee. There are no plans for a memorial service.

Robert Nott can be reached at 986-3020 or rnott@sfnewmexican.com.