Swiftie’s ‘Cruel Summer’ Concert Getaway Results in Duke Time Off Photo Prize

Mary Martin, Duke Hospital Chief Operating Officer, bonded with her 11-year-old daughter at the Taylor Swift concert in Amsterdam

An 11-year-old girl and her mother pose at a Taylor Swift concert in Amsterdam
Mary Martin, Duke Hospital Chief Operating Officer, poses with 11-year-old daughter, Ava, at the Taylor Swift concert in Amsterdam.

Anyone who emailed Mary Martin during the first week of July received an automatic reply that hinted at the Duke Hospital Chief Operating Officer’s level of devotion to why she would not be replying any time soon.

“Don't Blame Me but you know All Too Well that my daughter is a huge Taylor Swift fan,” the out-of-office email read. “Thus, we shall be celebrating this Cruel Summer by seeing Ms. Swift in Amsterdam July 2-8.  I mean no Bad Blood but I will be difficult to reach during this time. If any Sparks Fly while I am out, just Shake It Off or reach out to The Man, David Gallagher, for any urgent needs.

“Here's to Never Growing Up and living our Wildest Dreams.”

She even posted it on LinkedIn before she left for the trip.

“I had several people tell me they were going to send me an email at work just so they could get that response back,” Martin said.

The weeklong trip was the culmination of a year’s worth of planning and a newfound determination to live life to its fullest.

Martin’s photo from the concert in Amsterdam on July 5 led to Martin winning the next prize in the annual Duke Time Off photo campaign. For her photo, Martin will receive a 24-can cooler courtesy of Duke University Stores.

Mary Martin, right, poses with her daughter, Ava, and brother, Dominic, at a Taylor Swift concert in Amsterdam.
Mary Martin, right, poses with her daughter, Ava, and brother, Dominic, left, at a Taylor Swift concert in Amsterdam.

Martin and her two daughters have been major Taylor Swift fans for years. She took her oldest daughter, Julia, to Swift’s “The Red Tour” in 2014 when Julia was 10. She took both Julia and her youngest daughter, Ava, to Swift’s “Reputation Stadium Tour” in 2018 when Julia was 16 and Ava was 6.

Last year, amid all the hype for Swift’s record-setting Eras Tour, Ava began hinting that she’d like to attend – if not in the U.S, then maybe in Europe.

“Oh, OK. That’s a reasonable request. Whatever,” Martin jokingly told her.

But Martin also knew it would be an incredible mother-daughter experience if she could pull it off. And three years removed from a colon cancer diagnosis, Martin has a new appreciation for the importance of seizing the moment.

“My whole attitude has changed to, ‘It's all about experiences, and you never know what could happen, so go while you can,’” Martin said.

Martin also admits she needs to be better about setting an example for why it’s valuable to refresh and recharge.

“As leaders, we have to model taking time off,” Martin said, “because we’re pretty bad at doing that.”

And if it involved an overseas trip with 11-year-old Ava to see Swift, why not?

An out-of-office email reply for Duke Hospital Chief Operating Officer Mary Martin contains several Taylor Swift songs bolded.
Mary Martin's out-of-office reply had a playful nod to several Taylor Swift songs.

Martin’s brother, Dominic, happens to live in the Netherlands, so seeing one of Swift’s three Amsterdam performances worked out perfectly. Dominic was lucky enough to snag regular-price tickets through the Ticketmaster lottery, and all three attended the concert sporting outfits that reflected various Swift eras.

“It was really awesome,” Martin said. “I think she is such a good role model for young women, and it was just such a bonding experience.”

Ava apparently thought so, too. She almost started crying at the concert because she was so happy to be there. And she already has started hinting that Taylor Swift is playing a concert in Vancouver on Martin’s birthday later this year.

“I’m like, ‘Honey, no. We’re done,’” Martin said, laughing. “But I appreciated her angling for it.”

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 will award Duke-themed merchandise from Duke University Stores.

All eligible pictures taken and shared throughout the course of the campaign – May 22, 2024, through Aug. 4, 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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