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Duke Milestones Celebrated

Faculty and staff -- including one with 50 years of service -- are honored

The Night of Duke Stars concluded with a celebration dance performed by the Fred Astaire Dance Studio of Durham.  Among the dancers were Duke staff members Judy Stafford, Lori Phillips, Kathy Kirvan and Rita Winsor.

In the late 1950s, K.V. Rajagopalan's research about vitamin metabolism at a university in India caught the attention of the chairman of Duke's biochemistry department, Philip Handler.

 

At Handler's urging, Rajagopalan left India and joined Duke as a post-doctoral fellow and has worked 50 years at Duke, researching complex molecules to help scientists understand how enzymes impact metabolism and to identify their potential roles in fighting human metabolic disorders.

 

"It's been very rewarding to work in an environment that is so supportive of research," said Rajagopalan, 79, who is currently a James B. Duke Professor and works nearly daily in his lab in the Nanaline Duke Building.

 

Rajagopalan was among about 800 Duke University and Health System employees who attended Night of Duke Stars, a special tribute for staff and faculty celebrating career service milestones of 10, 15, 20 and up to 50 years.

 

"To have worked here 50 years is the fulfillment of a dream, and my life's goal," he said.

 

During the Night of Duke Stars celebration May 28, the Bryan Center buzzed with conversation and laughter as staff and faculty such as Rajagopalan chatted with colleagues while enjoying refreshments.

 

The event then moved to Page Auditorium, where guests were treated to a video and dance production. The Night of Duke Stars capped the end of Duke Appreciation, the annual celebration and recognition event for staff and faculty.

 

President Richard Brodhead and Chancellor Victor Dzau, M.D., welcomed celebrants and thanked them for helping Duke become recognized around the world as a place of excellence. Brodhead also thanked the audience for the invitation, quipping that he had only been at Duke for five years and could not have attended on his own merits.

 

Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president of Human Resources, said that more than 2,500 faculty and staff are celebrating career service milestones this year, including Rajagopalan and five others who had served Duke for 50 years.

 

"This year, Duke awarded 4,400 degrees, treated more than 60,000 patients in our hospitals and more than one million in our outpatient facilities," Cavanaugh told the audience. "These individuals all leave with something called the ‘Duke Experience,' which is synonymous with excellence and the result of the passion each of you bring to your work every day."

 

Monica Pallett, manager of Staff and Family Programs at Duke, said recognition events such as the Night of Duke Stars help celebrate the careers of faculty and staff, strengthen employees' connections with the Duke community and reinforce the importance of their contributions.

 

"We're fortunate to have people who spend most of their career at Duke, and it is the commitment these people bring to work each day that makes Duke a place where extraordinary things happen," Pallett said. "Longevity is especially important at Duke because of the complexity of the work we do, and the sophisticated and vast skills needed to conduct that work."

 

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K.V. Rajagopalan

Staff and faculty celebrating milestones wore ribbons of various colors designating years of service. Throughout the evening, the ribbons prompted conversations as faculty and staff congratulated each other and discussed their careers at Duke.

 

While wearing a navy blue ribbon designating his 50 years at Duke, Rajagopalan reconnected with several colleagues he hadn't seen in years. He shared updates about work and family, including his three adult sons who attended Duke.

 

"It was like a reunion and nice to see so many people," he said. "Many people stay at Duke a long time not just because of the good benefits, but because it's a great place to spend your career."