Duncan Whiteside died of natural causes on June 10 after a long battle with Parkinson’s. Mr. Whiteside was a longtime resident of Port Washington, serving as past President of the Port Washington Community Chest. He also served as the Treasurer of the Unitarian
Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock, and as chair of the Congregation’s Veatch Program.
Born in Boston, Mr. Whiteside attended St. Paul’s School, graduated from Harvard and received an MBA from New York University. He studied Russian in the army, and in 1959, was one of just 75 Americans chosen by President Eisenhower to represent the United States at the American National Exhibition in Moscow. Mr. Whiteside joined Chase Manhattan Bank as an international lending officer based in Frankfurt, but left the bank in the 1970’s and spent the rest of his career in the nonprofit sector, at Mobilization for Youth,
the Council on Adoptable Children, and as the Director of One to One, created by Geraldo Rivera in the wake of the expose of Willowbrook State School. Mr. Whiteside cofounded
the Maidstone Foundation in 1983, which helped people with rare or multiple disabilities
to obtain the help and services they needed. He served on many nonprofit boards, usually being drafted as Treasurer. Mr. Whiteside used his Russian language skills at Maidstone, providing direct services to Russian immigrants with disabled family members.
Deliberately keeping Maidstone small, Mr. Whiteside could be found at events for the families Maidstone served, rowing disabled children around a lake while singing Russian folk songs. He served as Vice Chair of the Governor’s Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities for many years and Board chair of the Epilepsy Foundation of New York City. He loved sailing, traveling the world, nature, his pets, and being a father. He will be remembered for his kindness, curiosity, sense of humor, adventure and fun, and his commitment to social justice. He leaves his wife, Mariette Bates, and his children Nicholas Whiteside, Michael Whiteside, and Sylvia Whiteside Morgan, and four grandchildren.
