Shortly after retiring from his job as vice president of Duke’s Office of Durham and Regional Affairs, Phail Wynn Jr. died of natural causes. During his funeral service, Wynn, 70, was remembered for strengthening the relationship between Duke and the surrounding Durham community.
Wynn was born in 1948 in Wewoka, Oklahoma. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma. While serving at Fort Bragg, he enrolled as a graduate student at North Carolina State University. There he completed his master’s degree and doctorate and was inducted into the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi.
He went to work at Durham Tech as assistant to the president in 1977 and three years later, he became the first African-American community college president in North Carolina. He served in that role for 28 years. During his tenure, he championed innovations to enhance accessibility to educational offerings.
After his retirement from Durham Tech, Wynn agreed to come to Duke for five years at the behest of then-President Richard H. Brodhead, to help mend strains with Durham as a result of the lacrosse scandal.
He stayed another five after Broadhead suggested there was more work to be done. Then, at the request of current Duke President Vincent E. Price, Wynn agreed to stay until the end of the 2017-18 school year.
Under his guidance, the office created partnerships to improve economic and community development, public education and quality of life through civic engagement initiatives.
“Phail was a remarkable, generous and wise soul, whose energy made us all feel like he would live forever,” Price said following Wynn’s death.
