Celebrating Three Decades at Duke

May 16, 2007

When Sheila Williams arrived at Duke University in 1977 to apply for a job, she literally got stuck here.

“Somewhere between my bus ride to Duke and filling out the application, I lost all my money,” she said. “My friends all got back on the bus and left me at Duke!”

A 16-year-old Williams had come with a group of friends to apply for a part-time job in dietary services. Left behind, she waited in the building until 9 p.m. for a family friend to get off work and take her home. Even though the extra hours weren’t planned, her trip to Duke was time was well spent; among her friends, she was the only one to land the job as a “hot food checker,” which prepared patient menu requests.

She worked her way up to fill different roles at Duke that included clerk typist, student loan processor, and secretary to the assistant dean of Duke Chapel.

“So much has happened,” she said. “I’ve grown up at Duke.”

Williams, who recently reflected on her time at Duke during Duke Appreciation 2007, recalled getting her real break while working at Duke Chapel. Maya Angelou came to speak one fall to a group of incoming freshmen. Part of Williams’ job was to answer phone calls about the event.

“I had to admit to myself that I had no idea who Maya Angelou was,” she said.  “I thought, ‘Obviously I need to know who this woman is.’ So I decided I would go.

“She was so eloquent that somewhere in the middle of her talk, I forgot she was talking to the students and thought she was talking to me.”

Inspired by Angelou proclaiming to Duke freshmen that “they had a right to learn,” Williams re-enrolled at North Carolina Central University, where she originally started college. She later transferred to Shaw University and earned her bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude.

Today, as director of financial aid in the Divinity School, Williams and her colleagues have helped more than 40 percent of graduates of the Divinity School leave without any debt. Williams said she is still inspired and motivated by working at Duke, even after 30 years. 

“It’s impossible to be in the midst of this magnificent place and not be affected by its ethos,” she said.