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[UPDATED] Memorial Service set for Laney Funderburk, Long-time Leader of Alumni Association

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Laney Funderburk

UPDATED: A memorial service will be held for Laney Funderburk at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 22, at Holden Beach Chapel in Holden Beach, NC.

Laney Funderburk, who led Duke’s alumni operations for 22 years before retiring in 2004, died on Saturday. He was 77.

During Funderburk’s tenure as Duke's senior alumni relations officer, Duke Magazine was established, the alumni education and travel program was expanded, class reunions were consolidated and revamped, information-technology initiatives were introduced and an affinity credit card was put in place to create revenue for increased alumni programming.

"Laney was an extraordinary leader of the alumni association for 22 years and for generations of alumni, he was the face of Duke," said Sterly Wilder, associate vice president for alumni affairs. "His loyalty and passion for Duke were unfailing and inspiring, and we continue to follow his example in our work today. Our heartfelt sympathies go to his wife, Lois, and his children, who are all members of the Duke family."

"As an alumnus, Laney understood the deep affinity alumni feel for our   university  and he had tremendous respect for the role they play in making Duke a special place," said Robert Shepard, vice president for development and alumni affairs. "He gave alumni ways to celebrate, learn and connect. The camaderie that flows through the alumni community today owes much to Laney's vision and leadership."

A native of Maiden, N.C., and a 1960 Duke graduate, Funderburk worked in the alumni affairs office part-time as a student, running some of its reunion programs during his third and final year. After graduation, he continued to work with alumni affairs for 13 years, leaving in 1973 to become deputy secretary of the N.C. Department of Commerce and, later, special assistant and then chief of staff for Gov. James E. Holshouser.

In 1977, he moved to The Duke Endowment, where he directed the charitable foundation's education division and served as the chief liaison with Duke University and other higher education institutions.

In 1982, Funderburk returned to the university to lead its alumni affairs office through a period of significant expansion, becoming the longest-serving alumni director and presiding over the greatest growth in the alumni organization in Duke history.

Under Funderburk's leadership, Duke published its first directory of alumni, which was later moved online. In 1985, it established the Duke University Black Alumni Connection to deepen the bonds between the university and its African-American alumni. Working in partnership with other offices across the campus, Funderburk helped shape programs ranging from a new Career Week for students to an annual fall Homecoming Weekend. He also promoted several activities that recognize Duke alumni and their children who attend the university.

In addition, Funderburk held leadership roles with Duke's Athletic Council, commencement committee, presidential inaugural committee, Founders' Day committee and United Way campaign.

Outside of Duke, he was a past chair and member of the board of directors for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), District III, and a former trustee of the national CASE board. He was also a member of the Council for Alumni Association Executives and chaired its board of directors in 1998-99.

When announcing his retirement, Funderburk said, "I cannot imagine a more satisfying career than I have enjoyed with Duke's alumni affairs office for more than 35 years. I fell in love with Duke as an undergraduate and have been fortunate to meet and interact with countless other Duke alumni and families over several generations. Their active involvement has been a major reason why the university has ascended so rapidly and developed into a university of international distinction."

Funderburk met his wife, Lois Copeland Funderburk, when they were both students at Duke. Their daughter Lisa Carlisle Funderburk Miller, T '83, and her husband Kevin Miller are both Duke graduates, and their son Morris Laney Funderburk III received his MBA from Duke's Fuqua School of Business in 1998.

A memorial service celebrating his life will be held at 2 p.m. May 22 at the Holden Beach Chapel in Holden Beach, N.C.