Odessan David Duree has dedicated his service to the Odessa community through business and volunteerism for decades.
On Thursday, the longtime resident was honored by the Odessa Chamber of Commerce as the Citizen of the Year in a ceremony that took place at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.
“It’s such a surprise,” Duree said of the award. “It’s such an honor. It’s so humbling. This room is filled with people who have volunteered to give back. They’re my heroes. It’s an honor to be honored this way. I’m going to try and direct that back towards the people that do so much for our community.”
Duree was chosen by a panel of Odessa Chamber leaders to receive the distinguished award.
Duree was born in Crane in 1957. He graduated from Permian High School and attended Odessa College where he received his associate’s before continuing to the University of Texas Permian Basin to complete his bachelor’s in accounting in 1981.
“We have received rave reviews from people who have said that they’re very happy that we’re honoring David Duree,” Odessa Chamber of Commerce President Renee Earls said. “He has many friends out there in the community. As we delve into writing his bio, there’s a lot more that he’s done that we aren’t aware of. He’s really touched many organizations throughout the year. He’s very focused on education. He’s been on the education foundation and has helped the chamber through some development projects. We’re very grateful to honor him.”
Duree started working for Midland Memorial Hospital as their chief accountant where he worked for a little over a year before buying into Elms Faris in 1989.
Duree continued working for Elms Faris until the company merged with Weaver in 2010.
He served as a partner at Weaver until retiring in 2022. Since retiring last year, Duree now owns Duree, LP with his wife, Donna.
Over the years, he has served on different committees.
He is currently the treasurer for Odessans For Education, a board member of GROW Odessa, a member of the Permian Basin Rehabilitation Center Advisory Board, a member of the UTPB School of Business Advisory Committee, the UTPB President’s Advisory Council and many more positions.
“A good example is the Education Foundation,” Duree said. “People go through that. There have been a lot of good volunteers go through that. There’s a lot of money raised. I was able to cross over from my professional career to helping ECISD. … That’s one example of a lot of people that go through the Education Foundation that really do a lot of good for the students and teachers here in the Permian Basin.”
He also had a lot of praise for GROW Odessa.
“They do a good job of working with the city and work with developers to try and bring economic development into town,” Duree said. “There’s a lot of effort and a lot of great, smart people in that group.”
Chairman of the Odessa Chamber of Commerce Grayson Hankins talked about how Duree has been involved with the community.
“David is a guy that has always been around,” Hankins said. “He’s a behind the scenes guy. He’s been involved in a lot of organizations with the community. He’s always faithful. He doesn’t just serve on a committee. He shows and I’ve known him for a long time. I can’t think of anyone more deserving than him. All of his efforts in the past are what got him Citizen of the Year.”
Despite all the accolades, Duree said it wouldn’t be possible without the other volunteers and organizations he’s worked with.
“I’ve been here for many years and we’re fortunate here to work with different organizations,” Duree said. “This is a celebration of the people that I was able to work with. They’re good people who have helped Odessa grow.”
