For many of us, when we think about TFS, we think about our fellow Paisanos. We are a family, and the three longtimers who were recently inducted as Fellows of the Texas Folklore Society are at the heart of it.
Jack and Elizabeth Duncan 
Hooked on the Society since 1970, Jack and Elizabeth Duncan (McKinney) have only missed a couple of Annual Meetings in the last 55 years—and that’s just a small part of their involvement.
They are selfless volunteers, taking the lead in various capacities. Jack and Elizabeth have both served as board members, vice presidents, and program chairs, which anyone with experience will tell you takes a lot of time, work, and dedication. They have also hosted two annual meetings in Collin County, and their love of folklore and the Texas Folklore Society is something they have shared countless times, leading many new members to join.
When it comes to our books, Texas Folklore Society owes a lot to Jack and Elizabeth. They are contributors in every sense of the word and living the mission of collecting, preserving, and sharing folklore. TFS has published 16 of Jack’s articles. Our 2025 book, on the artists and illustrators who have contributed to our publications, has been researched by Jack—and we have reason to believe he also has an exceptional assistant.
For a wider audience, Jack has also written about three dozen entries for the Texas State Historical Association’s Handbook of Texas, including pieces on TFS members José Cisneros, book illustrator, and Al Lowman, bibliophile. He also penned Handbook of Texas entries on author Larry McMurtry, child film star Spanky McFarland, journalist Bill Porterfield, and sculptor Luis Jimenez, who, tragically and ironically, was killed by one of his pieces of art.
Stories and memories abound when chatting with Elizabeth and Jack. He once had the pleasure of meeting Stith Thompson, who edited our first publication, Round the Levee, in 1916. While on a business trip, Jack visited Stith, who was about 90 years old and living in a nursing home in Ohio. Jack and Elizabeth are the type of people who will go out of their way to bring a piece of Texas and TFS to fellow Paisanos and everyone they meet.
Lee Haile
It takes a pretty special, fun-loving, and dedicated individual to receive back-to-back honors, and such is the case with Lee Haile, a performer and folklorist in every sense of the words.
In 2022, we congratulated Lee Haile as the first recipient of the Hermes Nye Hootenanny Award. This year, Lee was honored as a Fellow of the Texas Folklore Society. At our last meeting, he was awarded the inaugural Hermes Nye Hootenanny Award, and this year Lee’s honors go beyond his contributions to music and merriment. He has led our hoots for decades, plays just about every instrument, sings just about every song, and wrangles everyone including his family–Karen, Acayla, and Sierra–into joining in the fun, but Lee has done much more for the Texas Folklore Society and folklore as a whole.
Lee served as President of the TFS in 2017–18 and has been leading and participating in annual meeting hootenannies for more than thirty years. He makes appearances at schools, festivals, and plenty of other places singing and entertaining—sometimes several times a week. He participated in the Texas Heritage Music Festival in Kerrville for many years. Lee is also a talented writer who has written poems and many original songs that some predict will someday be sung by more people. He is a storyteller, who often performs original skits. Both Lee and his wife, Karen, have been honored by inclusion in the Bandera Music Hall of Fame.
Lee is a botanist who also leads groups in exploring the beautiful Hill Country, as well as a photographer and woodworker who built his beautiful home piece by piece with the help of his family. More recently, with the help of his family, Lee planned and constructed a camp house and getaway near Terlingua at Big Bend—hauling each board and nail from Tarpley to Big Bend.
Kudos Jack, Elizabeth, and Lee for all they have done for TFS and folklore in the Lone Star State.