Face Value: Jack Chance

Jack Chance

Traffic controller and member of the parking detail sometimes referred to as the "Quad Squad," which polices parking in front of the Chapel; amateur artist and animal lover

Describe yourself in three words:
Motivated, optimistic, enthusiastic

Describe Duke in three words:
Builder of goodwill


Why Duke?
I was in between jobs, and I was just fortunate to get a job with Duke Security. I was with them for about a year. And then one day my supervisor told me he got a call from Parking and Transportation Services. They told him they were looking for someone who was "firm." And I was the first person he thought of. When they brought me in for the interview they said, "How are you firm?" I said, "Well, I get nicer and louder."


Jack Chance


photo by Chris Hildreth


What one thing would you change about Duke?
I could see better communication between students and staff at Duke. Just in general. Good communication is vital.

Who is your favorite person?
My mom. She's been a nurse her whole life. She spent her whole life raising us, and now it's time we take care of her.


What do you value?
I value learning. I read constantly--books, newspapers. Look in my car. You'll see stacks of newspapers. Every week I have to go to the recycling center.

In his words:

I was having a rough month. Things were getting stressful at work. I finally had a weekend to myself, and I said, "I gotta go. I need to get away." I didn't know where, just away. So I took a bus to the airport and paid $400 for a roundtrip ticket to Florida. I went all the way down to Florida. I drank, I bet it was, a tractor-trailer full of coffee. And I got down there, and I just walked around. You know, they say walking is one of the best medicines. It helps you think. Einstein did a lot of walking. And it's like he said, "You can't solve a problem on the level it was created. You have to change your way of thinking." So I walked and walked, and, at the end of the day, I took a cab back to the airport and came all the way back to Durham. It cost me $400, and I would never take it back. Because I learned no matter how far you run, your problems are going to go with you. And you just have to think them through.

A joint project of University Photography and Duke Magazine, Face Value is an evolving gallery of portraits displayed in Perkins Library and represented in the magazine.
By capturing these individuals in images and words, the project celebrates some of the staff, faculty, and students whose contributions define a diverse community.
Portrait by Chris Hildreth. Photo finishing by Brent Clayton.
 

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