If you know much about Duke University’s founding and the Duke family itself, there’s a good chance you have Robert Durden to thank.
The longtime Duke history professor penned what are considered the definitive examinations of the Duke family and the university’s origins. “The Launching of Duke University, 1924-1949,” was published in 1993; it traced the university’s 1924 origins as Trinity College and showcased the university’s formative years under the leadership of then-President William Preston Few.
Durden also authored “The Dukes of Durham,” a history of Washington Duke and two of his sons, Benjamin Newton Duke and James Buchanan Duke.
“He meticulously combed through innumerable primary sources, weaving together complex stories in a detailed but highly readable way,” University Archivist Valerie Gillispie told Duke Today in 2016 in a story announcing the historian’s death at age 90. “His books sit within arm’s reach at the University Archives — the first place we check when answering a question is ‘Durden,’ and we can always rely on the accuracy of his text and citations. His passing is a loss to historians, researchers and everyone who loves Duke and its stories.”
A Georgia native, Durden attended Emory University, took a break to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and later returned to Emory to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in American History.
He then completed his Ph.D. from Princeton University and focused much of his scholarship on the Civil War and reconstruction.
Upon his passing, Durden’s ashes were placed next to his wife Anne’s ashes in his favorite campus spot — Sarah B. Duke Gardens.