Charles A. Dukes Awards

The Duke Alumni Association (DAA) and the Annual Fund have awarded Charles A. Dukes Awards to six alumni for outstanding volunteer service to the university. The awards, named for the late Dukes ’29, director of the alumni affairs office from 1944 to 1963, honor individuals who reflect his dedication to the university. Winners are selected by the DAA board of directors and the executive committee of the Annual Fund.

Alumni volunteers recognized for dedication to Duke  

This year’s winners are Thomas C. Clark ’69, Harry “Hap” H. Esbenshade III ’79, Jeffrey H. Fox ’84, Richard B. Lieb ’69, Kathryn Crommelin Lieb ’69, and Owen A. May M.B.A. ’83.

Clark has stayed connected to Duke ever since he graduated, serving as class president from 1969 to 1974 and as class co-chair for his 40th reunion. During his ten years on the DAA board, from 1999 to 2009, he helped launch initiatives to foster civic-engagement opportunities for alumni and to expand involvement among diverse alumni groups, most recently as a member of the steering committee for the Duke LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Network. He has held a number of leadership positions, including president of DUMAA (Duke University Metropolitan Alumni Association), now known as the Duke Club of New York, and president of the Duke Alumni Association from 2006 to 2008. In the latter capacity, he was the DAA representative to the Duke board of trustees for two years. A retired banking-industry executive, Clark lives in Manhattan and Litchfield County, Connecticut. He is active in a variety of not-for-profit organizations and serves on the boards of the Concert Artists Guild and the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company.

Esbenshade was selected for his longstanding philanthropic and volunteer service to Duke. He has provided financial support to Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, the Fuqua School of Business, the athletics department, and the Nasher Museum of Art. He has served on the Annual Fund executive committee since 2004 and was appointed chair of leadership giving for 2008-09. In these roles, he helped plan and implement solicitation and stewardship efforts for leadership prospects and donors. Esbenshade also serves on the task force on undergraduate finance education and was appointed recently to the Trinity College board of visitors. He lives in Vienna, West Virginia, where he is chair and CEO of The Mountain Company, which specializes in roofing services.

Fox, a member of the Annual Fund executive committee, is credited with identifying key areas in which to raise money for the Annual Fund, particularly from the ranks of younger alumni. Thanks in part to his work, participation among Duke’s four most recent graduating classes rose from an average of less than 15 percent to nearly 25 percent in 2009-10. He was class co-chair for his 25th reunion and serves on the Center for Canadian Studies board of visitors. Fox lives in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he is CEO and partner of the Circumference Group, a private investment and advisory company specializing in technology and telecommunications businesses.

Richard and Kathryn Lieb are both members of the board of visitors of the Sanford School of Public Policy. They have served on the Financial Aid Initiative development committee and the Arts & Sciences development committee, and were co-chairs for their 35th reunion. Richard Lieb is a retired executive vice president of SEI Investments, where he spent most of his career. He still serves on its board of directors, as well as on the boards of several other public and private organizations. Kathryn Lieb volunteers as an ESL tutor and for several community groups. They live in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and are the parents of three children, including Suzanne Lieb ’03.

May is a vital member of the Fuqua School of Business’ alumni network. He participates in the school’s annual workshop for minority applicants, volunteers in the classroom, and serves as a career mentor to students. An advocate of Fuqua’s new Master of Management Studies (MMS) program, he has been invited by Dean Blair Sheppard to deliver the commencement address to the inaugural MMS class this spring. He has volunteered for the school’s Annual Fund, served on his class reunion committee, and spent five years as a member of the Alumni Council. He also has been a leader and advocate for the Fuqua Minority Scholarship. In 2003, he was selected as the recipient of Fuqua’s Alumni Award for Exemplary Service, which recognizes individuals who demonstrate exceptional dedication to the school. May lives in Englewood, New Jersey, and is CEO of MDG Partners LLC, a Manhattan-based financial- and management-resources company that serves small-cap and middle-market companies.