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Duke’s Long-Time Friendly Face

Deb Tingle has worked at the School of Medicine for nearly four decades

Deb Tingle and her husband, Charles, enjoy taking cruise vacations. This picture came from a 2010 trip when the couple 2010 visited the Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Photo courtesy of Deb Tingle.
Deb Tingle and her husband, Charles, enjoy taking cruise vacations. This picture came from a 2010 trip when the couple 2010 visited the Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Photo courtesy of Deb Tingle.

Name: Deb TinglePosition: Administrative coordinator, School of Medicine's Office of Curricular AffairsYears at Duke: 37 years

What I do at Duke: I try to help out with anything. I've done everything from schedule spaces to help wash brains. The school uses them for classes and they're kept in formaldehyde, so we have a sink where we let them soak. When I first started here 37 years ago, there were only five people in our office, so if something needed to be done, we'd all help. A normal task I have is handling budgets, which means anything to do with purchasing supplies and equipment for medical students.

If I had $5 million, I would: The first thing I'd do is retire and go to the Caribbean for vacation. I'd definitely donate to the Wounded Warrior Project and Independence Fund, which help wounded service members. The Independence Fund donates special wheelchairs called track chairs to injured servicemen – they have wheels like a tank so you can roll on any terrain. My stepson has a track chair and it gives him all kinds of freedom.

My first ever job: Right out of high school I worked at a small loan office in downtown Durham. It was before everyone had credit cards, so people came in to borrow anything from $50 to $500. I mostly took payments.

My dream job: To be a food critic for fine-dining restaurants. I like it'd be nice to go to different places around North Carolina and eat food. I love the idea of restaurants raising their own crops or getting local vegetables.

If someone wanted to start a conversation with me they should ask me about: They should walk up, smile and then we can talk about anything. It shows you're friendly.

The best advice I ever received: Always look for the best in people. It was something a friend said to me one time. I think if you do that, you're going to find it in them.

What I love about Duke: The employee tuition benefit I used for my son. It helped put him through four years of school. He went to Campbell University and now works at Duke.

When I'm not at work, I like to: Travel and take cruises to the Caribbean. I like being on a cruise ship because it's so laid back. I'll also visit family in Florida and friends in Georgia.

If I could have one superpower, it would be: To fly. It would be nice to get around traffic quickly.

Something most people don't know about me: I played shortstop for a girls softball team in high school. It was the days before organized Little League, so a bunch of girls just got together and we'd play for fun.

A Movie I like: Air Force One. I like Harrison Ford movies and he was fun to watch in it.

Music I like: A lot of beach music, blues and old rock and roll. I'm a big Jimmy Buffett fan.