On November 9, 1910, William Preston Few accepted the presidency of Trinity College, vowing “to keep the future worthy of the past.” This turned out to be no hollow promise: Few deserves much of the credit for Trinity’s transformation into Duke University.

In 1890, James B. Duke organized the American Tobacco Company out of the family business—W. Duke, Sons, and Company—and other tobacco interests they had acquired. This new conglomerate expanded to become the largest of its kind, adding nearly 250 companies over the next twenty years. The “Tobacco Trust,” as it became known, controlled so much of the cigarette and plug-tobacco market that, in 1911, the U.S.

Waterworks: Roney fountain in the 1920s. Duke University Archives

 

Go, team: Trinity's 1891 football team.

Picture this: Scrapbook of architectural ideas for Duke includes sketches of buildings from Princeton University, left, and the University of Ch

Chrissy DiNicola

Trinity Park School students relax in their dorm room. Duke University Archi

Run, Terry, Run: supporters in Miami. Duke University Archives

Duke University Archives

 

First Trinity alumnae: Pers

 Duke University Archives

Commencement buzz: bann

Color

    Joe College Weekend: Hoof 'n' Horn and an ode to argyle