Eight Honored for Service

Six alumni and two Duke parents were named recipients of Charles A. Dukes Awards for outstanding volunteer service to Duke. The awards, sponsored by the Duke Alumni Association, are named for the late Dukes '29, director of alumni affairs from 1944 to 1963. The citations honor individuals who reflect his dedication to the university. Award winners are selected by the DAA board of directors and the executive committee of the Annual Fund.

Recipients for 2004-05 are Wilton D. Alston, Charlotte Duke Reeves Clark, parents Thomas and Diana Crawford, Nikki Hurst Gibson, Christopher W.A. Holt, Peter J. Kahn, and Kenneth D. Weeks Jr.

Alston B.S.E. '81, of Rochester, New York, a member of the DAA board of directors since 1994, was president in 2002-03 and served on Duke's board of trustees from 2002 to 2004. He began volunteering in 1984 as a member of his region's Alumni Admissions Advisory Committee (AAAC). He has been a volunteer for the Duke University Black Alumni Connnection (DUBAC), serving as president, secretary, and a member of its board of directors.

Clark '79, M.E.M. '83, of Durham, began her volunteering in 1992 interviewing prospective students through the AAAC. She was a member of the DAA board of directors from 1999 to 2004 and has served on the Women's Athletics Scholarship Committee, the New York Women's Forum, the School of the Environment Alumni Council, and the Annual Fund Reunion Leadership Committee.

The Crawfords, of Oceanspark, New Jersey, are the parents of Jillian M. Crawford '01, Jessica L. Crawford '03, and Anne E. Crawford '05. They have been members of the Duke Parents' Committee since 1998 and have co-chaired the Parents of Alumni Committee since 2001. Their service has brought the Parents' Program to new heights, breaking pledge records in the 2003-04 fiscal year and raising $3.8 million from non-alumni parents. This year, the Parents of Alumni group has already secured nearly half of its overall pledge goal. Tom Crawford was a member of the New York Regional Committee for the successful Campaign for Duke.

Gibson '80, of Dallas, was chair of the 25th Reunion Gift Committee, which set two records, silver-reunion gift and an all-time reunion gift, of $2.6 million. She has been a member of the AAAC since 1985 and has served on the Women's Studies Council and the Regional Development Committee.

Holt M.B.A. '96, of Toronto, founded the Duke Club of Canada and has been its president since 2000. He has been responsible for building a Duke network across the country, from Vancouver to Quebec. He has been a primary contact in organizing three visits by Duke presidents and helped establish the Canadian Alumni Advisory Council. He was chair of Executive Fellows and an Admissions Fellow at the Fuqua School of Business in 1995-96. As an alumni admissions volunteer since 1997, he has interviewed prospective students and coordinated parties for accepted students annually for the Fuqua School.

Kahn J.D. '76, of Bethesda, Maryland, has been a member of the law school's board of visitors since 1995 and its chair since 2001. He was co-chair of his class' 20th reunion committee. He participates in orientation at the law school each fall and speaks at its graduation ceremonies. He has been host to the annual event at his law office for Washington students admitted to the law school, as well as other events for local law alumni.

Weeks M.D. '74, of Mooresville, North Carolina, has been a member of the Davison Club since 1986 and president since 2004. To meet his goal of 1,000 Davison Club members, he launched a Charlotte-based campaign that included a personal letter and staff follow-up, and he was host to an event at the Duke Mansion featuring medical school dean Sandy Williams M.D. '74 and former basketball star Mike Gminski '80. Gifts to the club increased by at least 13 percent. Weeks has been a member of the Medical Alumni Council since 2002.