Decorating Duke

Strewn across bookshelves, tables and desks, an eclectic collection of items found in the office of Executive Vice President Tallman Trask acts like something of a museum for his 20 years at Duke.

He’s hung dozens of passes for Duke events, from Blue Devil football bowl game appearances to faculty recognitions and a 2005 Rolling Stones concert at Wallace Wade Stadium. There’s also a rock-shaped chunk of paint chips several inches high – about 50 layers of paint accumulated over 10 years and scraped off the East Campus bridge where students create art.

Read More

“It’s not so easy to throw just anything out,” Trask said, joking that nobody on campus must have a collection like his because “they probably have enough sense to throw stuff away.”

Here’s a look at some novel decorations found at Duke.

Celebrating a Coworker – and Cats

Late last year, Katie-Rose Repp, assistant to the chair in the Department of Economics, was making frequent trips home to Rochester, N.Y., to help care for her ailing mother. She telecommuted while away from campus, and each time she returned, surprises always waited: flying pigs and cats hanging from her office ceiling. Known for her love of cats – Repp has two at home – her officemates cut out paper animals and hung them with string and paper clips.

“Every time I came back to the office, there would be more stuff hanging from the ceiling,” Repp said. “It was nice because it was my coworkers saying ‘welcome back.’”

Reminders of Duke’s History

Among the variety of items found in Tallman Trask’s office, two represent important moments in Duke’s growth.

The first is a collection of about 10 coal pieces kept from the final delivery of coal to Duke’s campus in February 2009, marking Duke’s sustainable commitment to natural gas, which produces lower emissions and greenhouse gases than coal.

“I give away one piece as a present every once in a while because it was quite the accomplishment,” Trask said.

He also displays two glass bottles that once held Coke and Nehi, a fruit-flavored soda, each about 90 years old. They were found during renovations at Baldwin Auditorium on East Campus.

“As they were building, we guess the workers drank Coke and Nehi and threw bottles into the dirt and that’s where they stayed,” Trask said. “These were the only two that weren’t broken.”

Flush with Plush

Among the animals and items that keep Lenore Ramm company at work, a surfing cow holds special meaning as a gift she received from Tarus Balog, a technology and communications professional, after a friend connected them on social media. Balog sent her the cow through the mail and the two later met at a conference.

 “I think desk friends make work life better because they are a good expression of who I am, similar to any other cube decoration,” said Ramm, an IT analyst with the Office of Information Technology. “I do tend to go overboard in my attempts to make my cubicle colorful and entertaining and that in itself is a reflection of my personality. Besides, now and then, everyone needs to hug a cuddly lobster.”

Making Playtime Practical

It’s not uncommon to find someone playing with toys inside Linda Franzoni’s office, whether it’s a student trying to calm nerves or Franzoni herself, demonstrating properties of mechanical engineering.

About 25 wooden items from paddle games to a cork popgun line shelves, and some double as teaching items for classes in the Pratt School of Engineering.

“We’ll use the popgun to show how much pressure it takes to pop the cork,” explained Franzoni, professor of the practice and Pratt’s associate dean for undergraduate education. “You need to know the diameter, the friction and how much force it will take.”

Franzoni has been collecting the toys since 1998, which started with a pull string trinket from Germany dubbed “Hans” that climbs up thread when two ends are pulled tight. There are other items from across Europe, including France, Sweden, Norway, and kinetic motion giraffes from Denmark, whose metal necks bounce up and down.

“They offer me a fun way to think about the conferences, trips and interesting places I’ve been,” Franzoni said. “It’s also a reminder of a time when I had little kids who played with toys.”

In their sum, the pieces offer a connection between Franzoni’s personal and professional life that provide her with fun memories of the past while offering interesting conversation pieces and activities in the present.

“We’re pretty family friendly around here, so when my coworkers bring in their kids, I’m the cool dean because I have toys for them to play with,” she said.