Duke University Archives

  A Chronology of Significant Events
in Duke University's History



The Randolph County period

1838 -- Brantley York (1805-1891) becomes principal of Brown's Schoolhouse, a private subscription school in Randolph County.

1839 -- Brown's Schoolhouse is formally organized by the Union Institute Society, a group of Methodists and Quakers under the leadership of Reverend York

1841 -- The State of North Carolina issues a charter for Union Institute Academy.

1842 -- Braxton Craven (1822-1882) becomes head of the institution.

1851 -- The school is re-chartered by the Legislature of North Carolina as Normal College, and its graduates are licensed to teach in the public schools of the state.

1858 -- The Alumni Association is organized with 41 alumni of record.

1859 -- Name changed to Trinity College upon affiliation with the Methodist Church. The motto "Eruditio et Religio," meaning "Knowledge and Religion," was adopted.

1871 -- Chi Phi organized with assistance of the Alumni Association as first student social organization. Alpha Tau Omega followed in 1872 with Kappa Sigma in 1873.

1878 -- Mary, Persis, and Theresa Giles became the first women to be awarded degrees.

1881 -- Yao-ju ("Charlie") Soong from Weichau, China enrolled, becoming the school's first international student.

1887 -- John Franklin Crowell (1857-1931), economist and football fan, elected president; Yale blue was adopted as the school color in honor of Crowell's alma mater. The Trinity Archive, now the oldest collegiate literary magazine in the South, was first issued in November of this year.

1888 -- Thanksgiving Day. Trinity defeated the University of North Carolina 16 to 0 in one of the first modern football games played in the South.

1891 -- A new charter for Trinity College was adopted, requiring that one-third of the members of the Board of Trustees be alumni.

Trinity College in Durham

1892 -- Trinity College relocated to Durham. Washington Duke and Julian S. Carr persuaded the Board of Trustees to move the college to their progressive "New South" city. Duke contributed $85,000 for buildings and endowment and Carr donated the site, which is now East Campus.

1894 -- John C. Kilgo (1861-1922) elected president of Trinity.

1896 -- Washington Duke contributed $100,000 for endowment supplementing it by a like amount in 1899 and 1900. Booker T. Washington, renowned African-American leader, speaks on campus. As noted in his autobiography, Trinity College was the first white institution of higher education in the South to invite him to speak. Joseph S. Maytubby of Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) became Trinity's first Native American graduate.

1903 -- Trinity College and Professor John Spencer Bassett became forever associated with the history of academic freedom as a result of the "Bassett Affair." In a visit to Durham on October 19, 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt praised Trinity's stand for free inquiry in a speech on campus.

1904 -- After intermittent periods of law instruction in the 19th century, a School of Law is established.

1905 -- Volume 1, number 1 of the student newspaper, The Chronicle, is issued (December 19.)

1910 -- William Preston Few (1867-1940) is inaugurated president of Trinity.

1912 -- Trinity College Alumnae Association organized. The Chanticleer, a yearbook, is first issued.

1917 -- Charles R. Bagley, '14, selected as college's first Rhodes Scholar. Julian Harris, Class of 2000, is our twenty-ninth recipient of the scholarship.

1919 -- Trinity's Phi Beta Kappa Chapter, the Beta of North Carolina, is chartered. The first installation of new members takes place the following year.

1922 -- Chronicle editors begin using the nickname "Blue Devils" for the athletic teams. "Les Diables Bleus" was the nom de guerre of a regiment of French alpine troops widely known for their exploits in World War I.

The University

1924 -- Duke University is founded, being named in honor of Washington Duke and his family. On December 11, James B. Duke signed the indenture of trust establishing The Duke Endowment, a family philanthropic foundation that supports education, religion and health care in the Carolinas. Each Fall, Founders' Day commemorates the event. Trinity College would become the new university's undergraduate college for men.

1925-27 -- Original campus rebuilt with the addition of eleven red brick Georgian-style buildings. James B. Duke dies on October 25, 1925.

1926 -- The School of Religion, now the Divinity School, is founded.

1927-30 -- Gothic campus of native Hillsborough stone built one mile west to house the undergraduate Trinity College for men and the professional schools.

1928 -- Duke awards its first Ph.D. degrees. The following year, Rose M. Davis becomes the first woman to get a Duke Ph.D., receiving her doctorate in Chemistry

1930 -- The Woman's College opened on East Campus, and Trinity College and the School of Medicine and Hospital opened on West Campus.

1931 -- The Duke University Alumnae Association organized the first continuing education program. The School of Nursing is founded.

1932 -- Chapel first used for commencement although it was not completely finished and consecrated until 1935.

1938 -- School of Forestry opens.

1939 -- Sarah P. Duke Gardens dedicated. College of Engineering organized out of long-standing engineering curriculum.

The 1940s

1941 -- Robert Lee Flowers (1870-1951) elected president of Duke.

1942 -- Duke University and Durham host the only Rose Bowl game ever played away from Pasadena.

1947 -- Duke University Loyalty Fund (annual giving) established by the Duke Alumni office. Today it is called the Annual Fund, with more than 37,000 participating alumni.

1949 -- A. Hollis Edens (1901-1968) becomes president of Duke.

The 1950s

1952 -- Beginnings of formal faculty participation in governance with the establishment of the University Council, a high-level advisory committee.

1953 -- Inauguration of the James B. Duke professorships with the announcement of thirteen initial appointments funded by Duke's daughter, Doris.

1954 -- Newly completed administration building named for George G. Allen.

1955 -- Renovated and renamed Flowers Building dedicated for use by the Student Union, a student-led organization that planned and carried out campus-wide cultural activities.

1957 -- First use of the term "Duke University Medical Center" to designate the combined facilities for medical and nursing instruction, treatment and research.

The 1960s

1960 -- J. Deryl Hart (1894-1980) elected president of Duke.

1961 -- Admissions policy amended to affirm equality of opportunity regardless of race, creed, or national origin. This was accomplished in a two-step process with graduate and professional schools first and the undergraduate colleges following in 1962.

1962 -- Formation of the Academic Council, Duke's faculty legislature.

1963 -- Douglas M. Knight (1921- ) elected president of Duke.

1969 -- Terry Sanford (1917-1998), former governor of North Carolina, elected president of Duke. Art Museum dedicated on East Campus. School of Business Administration, the last of the schools requested by James B. Duke, established. A major library addition opened permitting the doubling of every library service and a five-fold increase in space for the collection. The library was named in honor of William R. Perkins. A. Hollis Edens Residence Halls and Paul M. Gross Chemical Laboratory named.

The 1970s

1971 -- Institute of Policy Sciences and Public Affairs established.

1972 -- The position of Young Trustee is established, enabling a student or recent graduate to serve the University as a member of the Board of Trustees. Merger of The Woman's College and Trinity College into Trinity College of Arts and Sciences.

1974 -- Mary Duke Biddle Music Building dedicated.

The 1980s

1980 -- Alumni Office organizes first Conference on Career Choices.

1981 -- Duke Hospital North dedicated.

1982 -- Joseph M. and Kathleen Price Bryan University Center dedicated.

1983 -- Women's Studies Program established. Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture dedicated.

1984 -- Nancy Hogshead won one silver and three gold medals in the Olympics. Dedication of the Nello L. Teer Engineering Library. Duke Magazine replaces The Alumni Register.

1985 -- H. Keith H. Brodie (1939- ) inaugurated as president.

1986 -- Men's soccer team wins Duke's first NCAA championship.

1989 -- Dedication of Schaefer House dorms.

The 1990s

1991 -- The men's basketball team, after advancing to the NCAA Final Four for the eighth time, wins its first national championship.

1992 -- The men's basketball team wins its second NCAA championship, becoming the first team in 19 years to repeat.

1993 -- Nannerl O. Keohane (1940- ) inaugurated as Duke's eighth president and the institution's thirteenth leader.

1994 -- Three-member team takes first place in the prestigious William Lowell Putman Mathematical Competition earning recognition as the best collegiate undergraduate Math team in the United States and Canada. The Levine Science Research Center, largest building in the university's history, opens for interdisciplinary research, and the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy moves into its new building. The first new dorms built in thirty years open on East Campus. Duke Alumni Association membership reaches 99,000.

1995 -- The first major residential changes in 20 years go into effect. The freshman class is housed on East Campus. Living groups in the new dorms are named Randolph, in honor of Trinity's birthplace, Randolph County, and Blackwell, after Blackwell Park, the old Durham fairground that Julian S. Carr donated as the site for the college's new home. The School of the Environment is renamed The Nicholas School of the Environment in recognition of a $20 million gift by Peter M. Nicholas, Class of 1964. This gift, the largest exclusively for endowment in our history, supports a school with an emphasis on interdisciplinary teaching and research. The School had its origins in the former School of Forestry and the Duke Marine Lab. An addition to the Law School is dedicated. The University receives $10 million for research from the estate of Doris Duke, the only child of founder James B. Duke.

1996 -- The University begins a major project to upgrade recreational facilities; the Keith and Brenda Brodie Recreational Center is opened on East Campus, and planning begins for a similar center on West. Robert Coleman, Ph.D., '66, wins the Nobel Prize in Physics.

1997 -- The Nicholas School of the Environment receives $2.1 million in grants from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Former President Jimmy Carter delivers the commencement address.

1998 -- A fund-raising effort, the 5-year 1.5 billion dollar Campaign for Duke, goes into its public phase having received over $750 million in pledges during the private phase. Former President George Bush delivers the commencement address. Terry Sanford, Duke's President from 1970 to 1985, died in April.

1999 -- The University celebrates its 75th anniversary and also that of the Duke Endowment. Founders' Weekend in October sees the dedications of the Wilson Recreation Center on West Campus and of a statue of Ben Duke on East. Edmund T. Pratt, '47, endows the School of Engineering with a $35 million donation. In the Spring, both the men's and women's basketball programs won ACC regular season titles, with the men's team compiling a 16-0 record in conference play, and both teams competed for national titles. The men's soccer team compiled an undefeated record in the ACC.

2000 -- The Board of Trustees approves a master plan for the development of the campus, and construction of a new dormitory complex to link Edens Quad with the main West Campus residence halls. This is the first step in a long-range plan to renovate the dormitories and improve residential life for our students. The departments of Botany and Zoology merge to form the Department of Biology. The site for the Nasher Museum of Art is selected. Elizabeth Dole (Woman's College, '58) gives the Commencement Address.

With thanks to The Office of University Development for sharing their data file so I didn't have to retype all of this...
Tom Harkins. Duke University Archives
Updated Tuesday, June 25, 2002 by Thomas Harkins