Lasting Legacy to the Carolinas
The Duke Endowment, 1924–1994
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Duke University Press
Published:2nd Jul '98
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Like the majority of the founders of large philanthropic foundations in the United States, James B. Duke assumed that the Duke Endowment, which he established in 1924, would continue its charitable activity forever. Lasting Legacy to the Carolinas is an examination of the history of this foundation and the ways in which it has—and has not—followed Duke’s original design.
In this volume, Robert F. Durden explores how the propriety of linking together a tax-free foundation and an investor-owned, profit-seeking business like the Duke Power Company has significantly changed over the course of the century. Explaining the implications of the Tax Reform Act of 1969 for J. B. Duke’s dream, Durden shows how the philanthropist’s plan to have the Duke Endowment virtually own and ultimately control Duke Power (which, in turn, would supply most of the Endowment’s income) dissolved after the death of daughter Doris Duke in 1993, when the trustees of the Endowment finally had the unanimous votes needed to sever that tie. Although the Endowment’s philanthropic projects—higher education (including Duke University), hospitals and health care, orphan and child care in both North and South Carolina, and the rural Methodist church in North Carolina—continue to be served, this study explains the impact of a century of political and social change on one man’s innovative charitable intentions. It is also a testimony to the many staff members and trustees who have invested their own time and creative energies into further benefiting these causes, despite decades of inevitable challenges to the Endowment.
This third volume of Durden’s trilogy relating to the Dukes of Durham will inform not only those interested in the continuing legacy of this remarkable family but also those involved with philanthropic boards, charitable endowments, medical care, child-care institutions, the rural church, and higher education.
“Durden’s well-researched, straightforward account of the establishment of the Duke Endowment in 1924 and its evolution to 1994 is a solid contribution to the scholarly study of the ‘Philanthropoids’ who guide the power of philanthropy. . . . Respecting the fact that accuracy is complexity, Durden provides a good account of how difficult it is to do philanthropy well.” - Choice
“This is a substantial volume that, in addition to its heft, has a handsome look and feel to it. . . . [Durden’s] main thesis is that the history of the Duke Endowment shows that James B. Duke both succeeded and failed in his philanthropic efforts. . . . This volume is a worthy addition to [Durden’s] scholarship.” - Georgia Historical Quarterly
“[R]eaders interested in a thorough narrative of the formation and development of the Duke Endowment or wishing to learn more about any of the important subplots—including the history of higher education, the development of hospitals and medical care in the Carolinas, the evolution of the child care field, and the rural Methodist Church in North Carolina—will find Durden’s book a valuable resource.” - North Carolina Historical Review
“[W]ell-organized and well-written. The author is especially adept at guiding the reader through the intricacies of Duke’s grand design and making understandable the dense verbiage of fiduciary law. Further, Durden provides useful historical sketches of several beneficiary institutions. Lasting Legacy to the Carolinas is a valuable addition to regional history and a fitting capstone to the study of a great family of the New South.” - Eldred E. Prince, Jr., Mississippi Quarterly
“Respecting the fact that accuracy is complexity, historian Durden carefully reveals a provocative account of how the personalities of the managers of philanthropy influenced the wielding of the wealth and the commitments of all of the institutions that the endowment touched. Durden has written a book that is needed in the history of wealth and education in the south. It is also a good account of how difficult it is to do philanthropy well.” - Journal of Southern History
"Lasting Legacy to the Carolinas presents new material that will be of use to the general public and to scholars interested in foundations and the history of the Carolinas. Durden is an excellent historian and writer."—Dr. P. Preston Reynolds, Welch Institute at The Johns Hopkins University
“[R]eaders interested in a thorough narrative of the formation and development of the Duke Endowment or wishing to learn more about any of the important subplots—including the history of higher education, the development of hospitals and medical care in the Carolinas, the evolution of the child care field, and the rural Methodist Church in North Carolina—will find Durden’s book a valuable resource.” * North Carolina Historical Review *
“[W]ell-organized and well-written. The author is especially adept at guiding the reader through the intricacies of Duke’s grand design and making understandable the dense verbiage of fiduciary law. Further, Durden provides useful historical sketches of several beneficiary institutions. Lasting Legacy to the Carolinas is a valuable addition to regional history and a fitting capstone to the study of a great family of the New South.” -- Eldred E. Prince Jr. * Mississippi Quarterly *
“Durden’s well-researched, straightforward account of the establishment of the Duke Endowment in 1924 and its evolution to 1994 is a solid contribution to the scholarly study of the ‘Philanthropoids’ who guide the power of philanthropy. . . . Respecting the fact that accuracy is complexity, Durden provides a good account of how difficult it is to do philanthropy well.” * Choice *
“Respecting the fact that accuracy is complexity, historian Durden carefully reveals a provocative account of how the personalities of the managers of philanthropy influenced the wielding of the wealth and the commitments of all of the institutions that the endowment touched. Durden has written a book that is needed in the history of wealth and education in the south. It is also a good account of how difficult it is to do philanthropy well.” * Journal of Southern History *
“This is a substantial volume that, in addition to its heft, has a handsome look and feel to it. . . . [Durden’s] main thesis is that the history of the Duke Endowment shows that James B. Duke both succeeded and failed in his philanthropic efforts. . . . This volume is a worthy addition to [Durden’s] scholarship.” * Georgia Historical Quarterly *
ISBN: 9780822321514
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 839g
408 pages