Michael Stewart Duncan Pollock

Michael Stewart Duncan Pollock

Michael Stewart Duncan Pollock, 82, died on September 15, 2025, after battling cancer for three years. Known as Duncan, he was a resident of Lee, MA, where he lived for many years with his life partner, Karen Carhart, and his beloved dachshunds. In addition to Karen, he is survived by two sons: Michael of Richmond, VA., and Jack and his wife, Kristin Briggs of Astoria, NY, as well as siblings: Pam Howard of Portland, OR, and Jud S. Pollock of Denver, CO. He was predeceased by his brother Raymond.

Duncan grew up in Darien, CT. He attended and graduated from the Kent School and later earned a BA in Art History from Yale University. After college, he took a job as Director of Admissions at St. Stephen’s, an international school in Rome, Italy. Later, he moved to Colorado, where he worked as a reporter and columnist for the DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS and a contributing editor for ART NEWS and ART IN AMERICA. He was a visiting lecturer at the University of Colorado before returning to New York to earn an MBA at NYU’s Stern School.

Duncan had a distinguished career in advertising, first at Young & Rubicam and later as CEO of Ammirati & Puris New York, overseeing a 750-person operation before becoming president of a private equity-sponsored branding firm. In retirement, Duncan consulted for GE, an insurance company, and served on museum and school boards, including the Norman Rockwell Museum and St. Stephen’s as well as church and tennis committees locally.

A true Renaissance man, Duncan was a gourmet cook and wine connoisseur, and until recent years, he ran a website, Chow Guys, which specialized in sharing food and recipes. As a cook, he preferred to use his own home-grown herbs and vegetables. He enjoyed martinis and cooking often for family and friends. Later, he spent three years researching his family’s generational genetic disposition and authored THE RUBICAM WOMEN, as well as contributing to THE CHRISTIAN CHOICE. A competitive tennis player since his teenage years, Duncan delighted in winning championships until three years ago, when he and Karen began playing golf together. Exploring their individual lifelong passions for art, church history, languages, and international living and travel, they shared that enthusiasm with a wide circle of friends both locally and globally.

Memorial service will be held: Wednesday, October 15, at 11:00 at Hope Church, 259 Kemble Street, POB 121, Lenox, MA. 01240.

Donations in Duncan’s name can be made to St. Stephen’s School, Via Aventina 3, 00153 Rome, Italy, Hope Church POB 121, Lenox, MA. 01240.