Oklahoma native Nolen Fuqua graduated from Duncan High School and the University of Oklahoma before serving the Army Air Corps in World War I. He returned home to Duncan and began his influential career in soil and water conservation education, as well as civic life in his hometown. Known as a “master in the art of caring,” Fuqua was actively involved in Boy Scouts programs and served as president of the Oklahoma Municipal League and the South Central Oklahoma Governments Association. He directed soil conservation districts and was a delegate to Chicago as the organizer of the National Association of Soil Conservation Districts, of which he was also president (1955-1959). He is also a member of the Agricultural Hall of Fame.