Chandler (Chan) Smith’s journey from an environmentally conscious undergrad at Duke to a pioneer in environmental management is a testament to his passion for the field and his commitment to giving back to the community that helped shape his future. Chan graduated with a BA in 1972, just before embarking on a transformative experience in […]

Duke Gardens is a cherished haven for Andy and Suzanne Wheatcraft, dedicated supporters whose connection to gardens spans a lifetime. Raised in the concrete landscape of Baltimore, Andy’s early encounters with green spaces fueled his passion for horticulture, forestry and conservation. When Andy became a Duke student, the Gardens played a pivotal role in his […]

Originally published on February 27, 2024 on Duke TodayCredits: Thomasi McDonald, Senior Writer Father and son George and George-Frank Wall spent their lives making Trinity College, Duke, and Durham better. Their legacy in nurturing stronger communities continues at Duke and in Durham’s Walltown neighborhood. The East Campus Union, home to the Marketplace dining hall and […]

It’s been a while since Jim Vogeley threw a television off the roof of a building. These days, he’s interested in quietly helping fix problems rather than spectacularly breaking things. The TV stunt, which was his contribution to the engineering school’s version of the classic egg-drop challenge, was admittedly a one-time thing — just college […]

Finding inspiration at Duke is not hard for Blaine Paxton Hall.  He sees it in the books that fill the shelves at the Duke University Medical Center Library and Perkins Library, in Duke Life Flight—the world’s first air ambulance started by two Duke alumni—as it hovers above campus, and even in a scrap of paper […]

For 30 years, Valerie Broadie J.D. ’79, P ’10 has used the skills she acquired at Duke to do two things: Be a successful non-profit fundraiser and give back to the community. Broadie is a life member of the Duke Law Board of Visitors and also a 2014 Alumni Award winner.  Although her volunteer activities […]

Ray Tysor ’21 is remembered as a people person and a natural leader.  He was an Eagle Scout who continued to support the Boy Scouts as an adult.  He was a devoted member of his Methodist church, inspiring the congregation through his tithes and his teaching.  He was a lifelong fan of Duke, a place […]

Their love story began at a football game with a scream. The setting was Wallace Wade Stadium on a sunny Saturday, September 19, 1970.  Duke was playing Maryland. Jan Tore Hall, a bespectacled rising sophomore, sat next to Ruthann Huling, a sports-loving freshman with golden blonde hair who was spending her first weekend on campus.  […]

From serving in student government in the 1960s to becoming Dean of Women in Duke’s Woman’s College just three years after graduation, Paula Burger ’67, A.M.’74 is a natural leader who has spent her career advocating for students. And she’s still at it today. Burger, a university trustee emerita, says her Duke education significantly broadened […]