Honoring Duke’s Stars in Style

Duke staff and faculty will gather Oct. 1 to be honored for their career service milestones between 25 to 60 years

Night of Duke Stars 2026

On Thursday, an august group of Duke faculty and staff will gather in their best attire to be honored for their remarkable careers of service. 

The event, aptly named the Night of Duke Stars, is an invitation-only event recognizing those who are celebrating milestone service anniversaries at Duke between 25 to 60 years. This year, 810 faculty and staff made the list, and combined they have served a total of 23,915 years at Duke. 

The longest tenured celebrate this year is Victor Strandberg, an English professor who retired at the end of June after serving 60 years. He started in 1966 at the age of 30 and went on to teach more than 10,000 students during his career.   

Antwan Lofton, Vice President, Human Resources
Antwan Lofton,
Vice President, Human Resources

“The Night of Duke Stars is one of my favorite events of the year,” said Antwan Lofton, Vice President for Human Resources. “Some of these individuals have served for more than half of Duke’s first century, and they represent a living history of this institution. Being able to celebrate with them to mark these milestones is truly an honor.”

The celebrants will joined by many of Duke’s senior leaders who attend to help recognize these long-tenured employees, who will enjoy a meal, musical performances, dancing, and a host of fun activities at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Durham Thursday evening. 

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