Down to There Hair
Wes Brown kept his hair in style during the 60s and 70s
Name: Wes BrownPosition: Associate dean of external relations, Duke Divinity SchoolYears at Duke: 31 years
What I do at Duke: I oversee fundraising and related programs and activities for the Divinity School. Besides development programs and projects, I help manage our alumni programs. We have a fairly broad constituency of graduates.
If I had $5 million, I would: Establish and oversee an endowment that would be awarded to those seeking innovation in theological education at Duke. Something like that would be a good use of $5 million, and it'd be a good incentive to spur creative thinking.
My first ever job: I was making $1.25 an hour bagging groceries at my local A&P Supermarket in 1967. I was 16 doing it as a part-time job during the school year and full-time in the summer. I think bagging groceries was a good start on a career in development because it's about relationships and service.
If someone wanted to start a conversation with me they should ask me about: My work or my family. They're what I love and what I'm very passionate about.
The best advice I ever received: "Listen for the word of God." It's what we usually say in worship prior to reading from scripture. It means to sit still, listen, pay attention, and understand that there are always connections, inspirations and opportunities. You just need some time to sit still, be quiet, listen and respond.
What I love about Duke: My colleagues. They're all a terrific collection of really smart, really effective professionals, particularly in my field of development. Somebody's always got a great idea, a good piece of advice or a lesson they're very eager to share.
When I'm not at work, I like to: Travel. I've been privileged to travel to England a couple times over last three years and spent a week in Cambridge on two different occasions. I'll travel anywhere if you give me a couple days off. I love to backpack, although haven't had a lot of opportunities to do that lately. I like it because you get to see sites that few other people ever get to see and to me that's pretty special. You just take anything you need to survive, have it on your back and spend time in nature.
If I could have one superpower, it would be: Speed, because it'd be nice to get from one place to another in a short amount of time.
Something most people don't know about me: I had really long hair in college. It was so long that when I turned over in bed at night, I had to lift a shoulder to keep from pulling my hair. It was the late 60s, early 70s, so it was normal. I wouldn't have made an effective fundraiser now as I looked then.
An interesting/memorable day at work for me: When we got a $12 million check in the mail for a Divinity School pastoral leadership project. It was from a foundation that offers a whole grant at once, so it was a lot of money.
A Movie I like: North by Northwest. Cary Grant is super and I love Hitchcock. His movies are so clever.