Duke Arnold Hayduk

August 2, 1938 ~ April 9, 2020

Duke Arnold Hayduk died suddenly on April 9, age 81, at his home in Santa Fe, NM after a life well lived. He was the son of Vera and Henry Hayduk of Seattle, WA, which is where Duke grew up.

After high school, Duke served in the U.S. Army Security Agency in Herzogenaurach, Germany, where he met his wife Sarah, whom he married June 25, 1960.

Following Duke’s graduation from the University of Washington, Duke and Sarah traveled for a year in Europe and North Africa in a VW camper. Returning to Seattle, Duke’s unconventional mix of readings and music as host of the KRAB Morning Show stretched the boundaries of what people might find on radio.

In 1975, Duke earned a master’s degree from San Jose State University in Mass Communications and returned to Washington where he was a library media specialist at Skagit Valley College. Together, Duke and Sarah raised sheep and ran a small organic farm, The Sow’s Ear.

In 1996, after taking a year’s leave of absence from Skagit Valley College to work at Navajo Community College, Duke and Sarah decided to move to where their hearts were – Bluff, UT – where they built Calf Canyon Bed and Breakfast, in the style of an old LDS home.

After retiring, Duke remained in Bluff, and enjoyed exploring canyon country with his dogs. Duke always called them his “short lived angels.” As a result of Duke’s vision loss due to diabetic retinopathy, they moved to Santa Fe in 2016.

Duke loved to tell a good story, especially when it involved an adventure or a local hero or villain. Duke was admired for his advocacy and concern for the Southwest’s cultural history and environment, and his critical observations about political greed and incompetence. Most importantly, Duke had the ability to help us see the world differently.