Way to Go, Grad!
Lifelong Durhamite and Fulbright recipient Malissa McSwain graduated with honors from Davidson College this spring. She will spend the summer in Durham before heading to Mexico to teach. Malissa is the daughter of Jeff and Susan McSwain.
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Ana and Chris Quinn’s sons, Liam and Kevin, graduated from Durham Academy and Virginia Episcopal School, respectively, this spring. Liam (left) will head to the University of Alabama this fall, and Kevin – whose high school basketball team won the 2016 VISAA State Division II Championship – will continue to play at Hampden-Sydney College.
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Durham native Dowdy Sarvis, a senior at Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill, signed on to swim for Gardner-Webb University. After realizing a love for swimming his sophomore year of high school, Dowdy began swimming with Duke Aquatics in September 2014. By the end of his 2015-16 season, Dowdy’s times were Division I level. He is the son of Ed and Angela Sarvis and will attend GWU in the fall on an academic and athletic scholarship.
And the Award Goes to…
The Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded a $7,500 FilmCraft grant to the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University to help support the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival’s annual School of Doc, a five-week teen summer program.
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The City of Durham was listed as having one of the top 50 Leading Fleets of 2016, presented by Government Fleet magazine and the American Public Works Association, for representing the best in public sector vehicles and equipment.
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Personal finance website WalletHub named Durham the No. 12 best city to start a business based on metrics such as financing accessibility, business competition and availability of human capital.
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For the second year in a row, Voyager Academy’s show choir has won the North Carolina State Championship. “Bull City Lights” competed against 11 other high school show choirs in Winston-Salem, where they were awarded first place overall and in vocals, and student Jordan Kelley was awarded Best Male Stage Presence.
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Duke University placed third in the Prototype, Battery Electric category at Shell’s Eco-marathon Americas 2016, a competition of 124 teams representing seven countries designing, building and testing energy-efficient vehicles.
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Team Eggheads, consisting of three chefs from Another Broken Egg Café – Scott Schabot, Tad Balio and Keith Calise — won Durham’s Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series.
In Memoriam
Shortly after her 35th birthday celebration, Cynthia, a red ruffed lemur who lived at the Museum of Life & Science with daughters Iris and Jethys, passed away April 28. Born at Duke Lemur Center, Cynthia moved to the museum in 2005 and was a favorite at the “Explore the Wild” exhibit.
What an Honor
Matthew Konar of groundworkk and Jessamyn Stanley (above), both featured in our May issue, were named in Southern Living’s top 56 Innovators Changing the South.
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Five Jordan High School students and physics teacher Dr. Jeffrey LaCosse attended the White House Science Fair competition in April. The students – Evan Perry, Judy Cheng, Ryan Hill, Emma Jaynes and Samantha Armistead (pictured above with Bill Nye) – are members of the Jordan rocketry team and regularly compete in the NASA Student Launch competition. The team was one of only 19 participants in the country to be invited.
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Duke Cancer Institute’s Shelley Hwang was recognized as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People with fellow researcher Laura Esserman of the University of California, San Francisco.
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At the Eastern North Carolina Film Festival, Durham actress Tracey Coppedge was nominated for best actress in the film “Where We’re Meant to Be,” which won the Judge’s Award and the Distance Award.
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Christy Cutshaw, a synchronized diver and junior at Durham Academy, qualified for this summer’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials – a feat for anyone, but especially a 17-year-old. Christy has been training with the Duke diving program since 2010 and last year started working with UNC diving coach and former Olympian Abel Sanchez.
Business News
The ZEN Succulent, a modern terrarium and plant craft business, opened its new brick-and-mortar shop on East Parrish Street in May, which serves as both a studio and storefront.
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Counter Culture Coffee opened its new headquarters and roastery at 812 Mallard Ave. in April. The new location includes
a hands-on training facility for coffee professionals as well as members of the public to taste and learn about coffee.
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Atmosp’hair Salon has become a member of Green Circle Salons, committed to reducing waste and supporting environmentally friendly salon practices. The team at Atmosp’hair are proud to recycle 95% of their waste.
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Contemporary JB Duke Hotel – after James Buchanan “J.B.” Duke, the son of Washington Duke for whom Duke University was named – is slated to open in early January 2017 at 230 Science Dr. at the edge of West Campus, located within walking distance of athletic and academic facilities. The hotel and event space features a modern design with local décor, 198 guest rooms, a full-service restaurant, two bars and meeting accommodations.
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Dream Hotel Group plans to reopen the Jack Tar Motor Lodge in downtown as the flagship of their new brand, Unscripted Hotel; renovation is expected to wrap up in spring 2017.
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Bull City Coworking has decided not to renew its lease at 112 S. Duke St., but will remain a website, co-working advocacy organization and host to occasional community get-togethers in the future. “Because you can close a space,” founders Robert and Christine Petrusz say, “but you can’t ‘close down’ a community of people.”
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Pharmaceutical services company Quintiles announced a merger with IMS Health Holdings, a Connecticut-based healthcare information company, to become Quintiles IMS Holdings in a $23 billion deal.
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Generic drugmaker Aurobindo USA, a subsidiary of Aurobindo Pharma, is moving forward with the purchase of the 142,400-square-foot Teleflex building at 2917 Weck Dr. The $37.1 million investment in this pharmaceutical manufacturing plant/research and development center is expected to create 275 jobs.
Brushes with Fame
Alton Brown dubbed Mateo “the best tapas bar in the U.S.” on his Twitter feed. The Food Network star performed at the Durham Performing Arts Center in April as part of his “Eat Your Science” tour. He also sent out social media love to Luna Rotisserie and Empanadas and Cocoa Cinnamon.
On the Move
After a four-month search process, Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis, formerly of the City of Atlanta Police Department, has been chosen to serve as Durham Police Department’s new chief.
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Richard Brodhead, president of Duke University, announced in April he will retire in June 2017 after serving 13 years as president.
Taking a Stand
installed new signage by Durham artist Peregrine Honig on their single-stall public restrooms, along with the words “We Don’t Care,” in response to the controversial House Bill 2 (HB2).
