Seaside Stroll with Grandson Provides Memories and a Duke Time Off Photo Prize

Deadline to share photos in 2024 summer campaign is 5 p.m. August 5

Steven Earp, right, walks on the beach with his grandson, William. Photo courtesy of Steven Earp.
Steven Earp, right, walks on the beach with his grandson, William. Photo courtesy of Steven Earp.

While enjoying time at Surf City on Memorial Day, Steven Earp saw an opportunity to take a brief beach walk with one of his three grandsons, 9-year-old William.

For the past several years, Earp, his wife Kim, the couples’ two daughters and their families have made a pilgrimage to Surf City. While the trip is an opportunity to enjoy time together, chances to connect with his grandchildren in one-on-one settings on vacation are somewhat rare, and not to be passed up.

Earp, the Manager of the Student Shop at the Pratt School of Engineering, doesn’t quite remember what he talked about with William as they wandered toward the pier, but the joy gained from the salt air, sunshine and seaside chat left a lasting impression.

“It was just a special moment where you and your grandson are just talking about life,” Earp said. “A memory like that you can carry on forever. It’s special to me.”

Steve Earp, right, said experiences like walking on the beach with his grandson, William, are memories he'll cherish. Photo courtesy of Steven Earp.

The candid moment of Earp and William is the latest winner in our Duke Time Off photo campaign. For the photo, Earp earned a 24-can cooler, courtesy of Duke University Stores.

The deadline to submit photos this summer is 5 p.m. August 5.

The annual Duke Time Off campaign invites staff and faculty to share special moments and off the beaten path adventures that capture a summer reprieve – everything from a backyard barbecue and beach getaway to a long-awaited international trip that highlights the ways staff and faculty use their time off benefit.

“We get to disconnect from our phones and the internet and everything that’s going on and spend some quality family time together,” Earp said. “It helps you refresh yourself and appreciate what you have.”

How to share your 2024 summer pictures:

  • Post and tag a photo on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook with the #DukeTimeOff hashtag and tag Working@Duke as well.
  • In your post, share what you’re doing with your time away from work and why it’s special.
  • Remember to include #DukeTimeOff and tag Working@Duke in your post, so we see your snapshots on social media.
  • If you’re not on social media or prefer to share your picture another way, upload your picture here.

We welcome and encourage frequent submissions (there’s even a prize for a shutterbug), but only the first picture in a series of pictures will be entered whenever one submission contains multiple images. Collage photographs and videos are not eligible for prizes.

During the campaign, the Working@Duke editorial team has awarded Duke-themed merchandise from Duke University Stores.

All eligible pictures taken and shared throughout the course of the campaign – May 22, 2024 to Aug. 5, 2024 – will be in the running for these grand prizes:

  • A “Classic Package for Two” ($425 value) at the Washington Duke Inn, which includes a king or double/double room for one night and full breakfast for two in the Vista Room or room service, courtesy of the Washington Duke Inn. Sunday brunch is not eligible.
  • A tour of the Duke Lemur Center’s Natural History Museum for up to five people with museum curator, Dr. Matt Borths. The collection is one of the rarest fossil primate collections in the world. Borths and his team will give the lucky winners a behind the scenes look at the collection and let them try their hand at fossil prep work.

Send story ideas, shout-outs and photographs by writing working@duke.edu.

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