The 13th annual Duke University Heritage Society luncheon was held on Tuesday, June 7, 2016 at the Washington Duke Inn Hotel & Golf Club.  This luncheon has become our most popular event of the year and the Office of Gift Planning was delighted to spend part of the day with so many loyal Duke friends.

Each year, we ask our local members of the Duke Heritage Society to join us for lunch as a way to honor and thank them for their commitment to this special place.  The Heritage Society honors alumni and friends who have included Duke in their estate plans or have made some other type of deferred gift to Duke.

We were honored that President Richard Brodhead was able to deliver this year’s welcome remarks and express his personal gratitude for everyone’s support of Duke University.  We were also glad to have Professor James Coleman, the John S. Bradway Professor of the Practice of Law, Director of the Center for Criminal Justice and Professional Responsibility and Co-Director of the Wrongful Convictions Clinic at Duke Law School, with us to present his case study, “The Conviction and Exoneration of Shawn G. Massey.”

Professor Coleman, along with his dedicated team of Duke Law students, has been responsible for five exonerations through the Wrongful Convictions Clinic, including the highly publicized case of Lamonte Armstrong who was accused of murder (despite the fact that he was at a cookout with 40 friends and relatives at the time of the murder) and advised to plead guilty to a lesser charge.  Lamonte spent 17 years in prison before Jim and his Wrongful Convictions team were able to get him exonerated. 

You can learn more about the case and the Clinic by watching this video:

Duke Forward Campaign – Duke Law School from Drawbridge Media on Vimeo.

From all of us at Duke, we’d like to express our deepest gratitude for your generosity and kindness.  Your support will ensure that the university will be able educate outstanding students, provide opportunities for research and review, and change lives for many years to come.  Thank you to all our supporters and friends!

Interested in learning more about Duke’s Heritage Society? Visit our website or contact us today.

About the author

Anne Sherman

Senior Associate Director of Gift Planning for Duke Health Development

as@duke.edu

Anne works with Duke Health donors who are interested in making a charitable gift to Duke and helps them navigate any tax or legal implications associated with the gifts. Prior to joining the gift planning team, Anne served as the assistant dean of academic advising at Duke Law School as part of the Law School’s Offices of Academic and Student Affairs and worked in the Law School’s Career and Professional Development Office. Earlier in her career, Anne worked for the college fund at the University of Chicago and practiced employee benefits law at firms in Chicago and Raleigh. Anne received her law degree from the University of Chicago Law School, graduating with honors, and her undergraduate degree from Duke. Anne and her family enjoy Duke Athletics events, and she actively volunteers in the Durham community.