Heddye Ducree will retire as the director of the Carl A. Fields Center for Equality and Cultural Understanding this summer after serving for nine years.
"I'm really going to miss her. Being with her is like being at home away from home," said Randolph Wiggins '04, vice-chair of the Fields Center's student governance board.
In her role as director, Ducree worked with the administration and the Fields Center's student board to run the center and to plan a variety of programs, ranging from student-faculty luncheons to Girl Talk to a student trip to the Apollo Theater.
"Working very closely with the center governance board to facilitate the name change (from the Third World Center to the Carl A. Fields Center), after several years of information gathering and dialogue, stands as the most recent highlight of my time at the center," Ducree said in an email.
Ducree was always "very warm, very caring and very concerned" about students, Wiggins said. "I think she's been very helpful to me administratively, but she's also been an ally for me," said Ayana Harry '05, the Fields Center's student board social chair. "She's always willing to provide guidance."
There will be a celebration for Ducree on Sunday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in which student groups and alumni will honor her, Harry said.
Ducree will officially retire on Sept. 1, when she will begin a new phase of life in Georgia, she said. She plans to volunteer with two nonprofits aiding youth and families.
Wiggins said that as director Ducree was always friendly and helpful to students, even outside her prescribed role. After hearing him make a comment at a Randall Robertson talk, Ducree approached him, Wiggins said, and invited him to join the student board. He also remembers her going with him to buy cutlery and other supplies that were needed for an event, not one of the tasks included in her job description.
As director, Ducree strove to reach out to all students.
"Just as the world looks to Princeton for its intellectual leadership, it should also be precedent-setting in its relationships, policies and procedures that make for a campus and college community that is truly hospitable to all," she said.
"It's always been my understanding that when someone leaves a legacy it's not just what they do but who they touch," Wiggins said. "I think Heddye leaves a great legacy here."
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