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Hello? Mr. President?

Mike Forbes grew up with a direct line to the White House

Mike Forbes, left, poses for a photo with undergraduate Alex Kunycky, president of the school’s ski and snowboard team, during Duke’s annual sports clubs award banquet in April. Forbes said working with students makes being at Duke his dream job. Pho
Mike Forbes, left, poses for a photo with undergraduate Alex Kunycky, president of the school’s ski and snowboard team, during Duke’s annual sports clubs award banquet in April. Forbes said working with students makes being at Duke his dream job. Photo courtesy of Mike Forbes.

Name: Mike ForbesPosition: Director of sport clubs, Duke Recreation and Physical EducationYears at Duke: 34 

What I do at Duke: I manage 37 sport clubs with over 1,400 students. My day-to-day responsibilities include arranging travel, ordering equipment, consulting with clubs officers about practice and schedules, hiring coaches, insuring that waivers are signed and dues are paid. We oversee home contests and ensure that practices are run safely. I also attend one event for each club each year.

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If I had $5 million, I would: Buy a house in Montana, one in some tropical place and split the year. My daughter lives in Montana and the mountains are just gorgeous. I’d want to live in the mountains from May to September or October, then go south for the rest of the year. Maybe St. John Island. My wife and I took our 25th anniversary there, and it’s a really nice place where 60 percent of the island is a national park.

My first ever job: I was a newspaper boy in the fifth grade in Arlington, Virginia. I had a friend who gave it up, so I took over and from fifth to 12th grade, I delivered newspapers. At the time, I had two or three big high rises, so I’d go all the way up to the top, then drop them off on my way down. Going door-to-door to collect bills helped me build good people skills because you had to build up the courage to knock on a door and ask somebody for the money.

My dream job: I’m doing it. I get to work at one of the best universities in the country with the brightest kids in the world and help them achieve their dreams. I can’t think of anything better than that. 

If someone wanted to start a conversation with me they should ask me about: Travel. In 21 years growing up, I lived in many different places. I was born in Kansas, then moved to England, Washington, D.C., New Jersey, back to D.C. and Kansas, Turkey, Atlanta and went to college in Kentucky. I went to three high schools in four years.

Something most people don’t know about me: For four years, we had an open line to the White House in my house. My dad was deputy secretary of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, so we had a little grey phone that was a direct line. I did pick it up once because I had a cousin that convinced me to do it. We got some secretary at the White House who said ‘Yes, can we help you?’ and we immediately hung up. They called back, but we didn’t answer.

The best advice I ever received: From my father. He said to do the best job you possibly can do and if you’re happy with it, it doesn’t matter what other people think.

When I’m not at work, I like to: Take walks with my wife, mow the grass, work in our garden and play golf and tennis. I’m a member of the Duke Faculty Club and the Washington Duke Golf Club is a great benefit. I’d play that course every day if I could.