Montage of Wall Center, George Wall, and a Walltown sign

The Wall Family Legacy at Duke and in Durham

Honoring early staff members and their family’s legacy at Duke and in Durham

From his birth into enslavement in Randolph County, North Carolina, to becoming the namesake of Duke's East Campus student union building and one of Durham's oldest neighborhoods, George Wall and his family helped write the history of the Duke and the Durham communities.

In recognition of their legacy, Duke honored the Wall family at the dedication of the George and George-Frank Wall Center for Student Life on September 27, 2024.

Below are stories featuring the Walls and their family’s influence at Duke and in Durham.

Wall Center for Student Life Dedication Ceremony

Wall Family descendants Stephanie Joy Tisdale, Vanessa Wall Smart and Talib Graves-Manns join Duke President Vincent Price, Vice President Stelfanie Williams and Board of Trustee Chair Adam Silver to dedicate the Wall Center for Student Life on East Campus. Family members share the history of the family and memories of life in the Walltown community.

Members of the Wall family and Walltown residents filled the dedication ceremony at the Wall Center for Student Life.

Honoring a Family That Built a Community

President Vincent Price talks with Audrey Mitchell, president of Walltown Community Association.

Stephanie Joy Tisdale, great-great-great-granddaughter of George Wall talks with university trustee Amy Abernethy.

Descendants of the Wall family sit alongside Duke leadership at the dedication. — Descendants of the Wall family sit alongside Duke leadership at the dedication

Wall Portraits and Artist Statements by Mario Moore

This portrait features George Wall, the patriarch of the Wall family, standing tall in front of the house he built with his own hands. The portrait honors and celebrates his enduring legacy and influence both in Walltown and at Duke University.
— Mario Moore (Artist) — This portrait features George Wall, the patriarch of the Wall family, standing tall in front of the house he built with his own hands. The portrait honors and celebrates his enduring legacy and influence both in Walltown and at Duke University.
**— Mario Moore** (Artist)

In this portrait George-Frank Wall, dressed in formal wear, stands in the present-day lobby of the building that now bears his and his father’s names, holding a broom in a way that conveys strength and pride in his work. In my conversations with Wall family descendants, they saw the broom as an important element to include in George-Frank Wall’s portrait as a representation of the labor that provided him mobility and the means to make his bequest to Duke University.
— Mario Moore (Artist) — In this portrait George-Frank Wall, dressed in formal wear, stands in the present-day lobby of the building that now bears his and his father’s names, holding a broom in a way that conveys strength and pride in his work. In my conversations with Wall family descendants, they saw the broom as an important element to include in George-Frank Wall’s portrait as a representation of the labor that provided him mobility and the means to make his bequest to Duke University.
**— Mario Moore** (Artist)

Spotlight on the Wall Family and Duke Service Employees

Duke 100 Spotlight George and George-Frank Wall

East Campus Union Renamed for Wall Family

The Enduring Story of George W. Wall and George-Frank Wall

Duke Centennial Spotlight: George and George-Frank Wall

Five people in food service uniforms pose for the camera on the lawn in front of a large university building, made of brick with columns of sandstone. Banners celebrating Duke's Centennial and the Wall Center dedication hang between the columns.

Wall Center Employee Spotlight Stories

From East Campus Union to The Wall Center

Historical image of East Campus on the left and a current photo on the right with students playing ball in front

Then and Now: East Campus Union and Marketplace

This series is a collection of resources and stories from a variety of sources related to George and George-Frank Wall and their family’s legacy at Duke and in Durham. The series will be updated as new stories are published.

We acknowledge that historical records are sometimes inaccurate, incomplete, or missing, and that the language in these records can be offensive and harmful. Duke is committed to making historical resources accessible as part of the university’s commitment to addressing systemic injustice, and this series will be updated as new stories related to the Walls are published, or as new historical information becomes available.