Alumni

Weekend Executive 2003 Alumni at Fuqua Reunions 2008

The Fuqua
School of Business
Duke University

1 Towerview Drive
Durham, NC 27708-0125

p. 919.660.2915
f. 919.660.7970

Contact Us

  • emailshare
  • printprint
  • share

    Add this page to your favorite site:

    • del.icio.us
    • Facebook
    • Mixx
    • Google
    • Furl
    • Ma.gnolia
    • NewsVine
    • Reddit
    • SphereIt
    • StumbleUpon
    • YahooMyWeb

Alumni of The Fuqua School of Business are leaders of consequence who live and work in every corner of the globe. Fuqua alumni navigate a multi-centric, globally interdependent business climate with the help of Team Fuqua connections, regional events, alumni education, and career services. Alumni support their alma mater with their time, resources, and advocacy, making Fuqua's partnership with alumni one of the most important components of the school's ability to connect across disciplines and around the world.


ALUMNI BY THE NUMBERS

14,475

Fuqua alumni

1,654

Live outside the United States

300

Returned to recruit MBAs in 2008

 


  • tab1Alumni Profile
    
Tracy Watkins on boat

    What Will You Change: Sailing Trip Exposes Students to Faraway Places

    Tracy Watkins (Weekend Executive '88) takes his exotic travels to the classroom.

    By Elizabeth Michalka — This article was originally published in the alumni magazine Team Fuqua.

    "A gecko just crawled onto my computer," said  Tracy Watkins . "They're all over the place. They're friendly guys, they control the bugs and snakes … there are also monkeys, parrots, and toucans in the trees around."

    Watkins (Weekend Executive '88) was describing his surroundings — a secluded rainforest paradise. From his location on the east coast of Panama, Watkins sat in his "bodega," which is Spanish for a small cabin. It's currently home for Watkins and his wife, Sharon, until they finish building their permanent home. The bodega is outfitted with water and electricity that the Watkins produce as there are no modern utilities or services in the jungle.

     "We're in the food chain here," Watkins said. "It's over 13  miles to the nearest road that goes anywhere, and it's a three-day walk through the jungle to get to the road."

    Instead, they travel by boat, sailing to nearby islands for supplies. Their 42-foot sailboat, named Landfall, is more than a means of transportation, though. In 2006, the Watkins left their home in Atlanta, GA, to sail around the world.They wanted to share their journey, so they launched a not-for-profit organization, Landfall Learning. Through their website , they provide educational information, entertaining updates, and photographs of their adventures. The website is targeted  to middle-school students.

    Two schools use the website for class lessons, and 10-15 students use it independently. Watkins hopes to gain a larger audience and plans to target underperforming and underfunded schools —  the kind he attended when he  was growing up.

    "Most of those kids don't have many advantages," Watkins said, "so I want to impress upon them that if we can sail around the world, so can they — they can do anything because I started out like they did."

    As a young man, Watkins told himself he would never spend his golden years lonely and feeble. Instead, he dreamed of retiring at 50 and sailing around the world. It sounded far-fetched given his family's humble lifestyle, but a series of events made his dream a reality.

    In 1979, he was stationed in Panama with the United States Army. For five years, he learned all he  could from the natives. He learned how to sail, but most importantly, he learned how to survive in the jungle — skills that are now proving handy.

    "My dream began to materialize, and I decided to set myself up to really fulfill it," Watkins said.

    Watkins left the military in 1987 and enrolled in Fuqua. After graduating, he spent 17 years in management positions with various packaging companies. He retired in 2006 as General Manager of LINPAC, Inc. (now U.S. Corrugated Inc. ). It was the early retirement he'd worked toward that afforded him the lifestyle he always dreamed of — geckos and all. 

  • tab2Fuqua Reunions 2010
    
Daytime 2000 alumni

    Save the Date! 

    Classes of 2009, 2005, 2000, 1995, 1990, 1985, 1980, 1975, 1970, and 1965

    Mark your calendar today to celebrate your reunion in Durham! Reunion weekend is April 23-25, 2010. It's a great weekend to reconnect with friends and see what's happening at Duke. More details coming soon!

    Tell Us Your Story

    Where has your post-Fuqua journey taken you? Share your story with your classmates. You can send your story to myreunionstory@fuqua.duke.edu . We will share the responses on your class page .

  • tab3Publications
    
FuquaNet cover image

    Fuqua has two publications that are regularly sent to all alumni. If you are not receiving either of these publications, please visit the My Profile page to see if your contact information is up-to-date.

    FuquaNet

    Our e-newsletter, FuquaNet , is distributed to all alumni each month with information about what's happening at the school, current faculty research, opportunities to volunteer, and alumni highlights from throughout the globe.

    Read the current issue of FuquaNet.

    Past Issues

      2009   2008  
     January July  January  June/July
     February August  February  August/September
     March September  March  October
     April October  April  November
     May November  May  December
     June    

     

    Team Fuqua

    Fuqua's quarterly magazine, Team Fuqua , contains alumni news and notes and is mailed to all Fuqua alumni. To view class notes on the web, please visit your class page . To submit a note, please contact the class communication chair listed on your class page, or use our online form .