Posted: February 5, 2010

By MARY FLACHSENHAAR

mary.flachsenhaar@insidebiz.com

Much like Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, where she has worked for 44 years, Beth Duke had humble beginnings in Norfolk.

The 23-year-old Navy wife from the Midwest was hired as a secretary to CHKD's top executive in late 1965, just a year after the 88-bed hospital without an operating room or emergency department had received its accreditation.

Duke, a petite woman with a flip hairdo who previously had worked for an ad agency and done some modeling for local advertisers, had to learn to type in a hurry.

Now, at 67, Duke plans to retire at the end of the month as CHKD's senior vice president of community relations and development, responsible for raising $125 million for the hospital, hailed as a gifted fund-raiser for an institution that has achieved sophistication and renown right along with her.

Fourteen King's Daughters circles of volunteers created the hospital's predecessor organization in 1896, and at the turn of the century, what the effort looked like was a single nurse making home visits on a bicycle.

Today the 212-bed hospital boasts a state-of-the-art pediatric emergency center and surgery center, as well as surgery centers at its new outpatient facilities in Newport News and Virginia Beach. In March, CHKD will host a national surgical workshop, a tribute to the reach of its reputation.

Today CHKD has a neonatal intensive care unit, a pediatric residency program, a center for pediatric research, a child abuse program, and a center for cancer and blood disorders.

So many in the CHKD family and the community that supports it, think of it as the house that Beth built.

Except Beth Duke.

The spotlight, she insists, belongs on the children. And on the donors who help make it possible to provide care to every child who needs it. Fifty-three percent of the children served by CHKD are Medicaid patients.

Her admirers insist Duke's contributions cannot be underestimated.

When surgeon Donald Nuss arrived at CHKD in Norfolk in 1977, there were no pediatric operating rooms at the facility or at its partner hospital, neighboring Norfolk General, making it difficult to recruit pediatric anesthesiologists and other specialists.

"Beth was the one who managed to raise the money to get the OR," said Nuss, who has held the titles of vice president of surgical affairs and surgeon-in-chief and is now getting ready to retire. "She has been very instrumental in helping the hospital stay afloat and in building it into one that competes nationally."

Duke describes her management style as "firm, fair and friendly," her fund-raising style as "relentless."

"I never take no for an answer because I know I have a good message," she said. "I'm not asking for myself. The children can't ask for themselves."

Relentless, yes; pushy, never, say those she works with.

Said Duke, "One donor described my style as I open the door a crack and you find your way in."

Stick-to-it-iveness is one quality she and her three siblings learned growing up in Mankato, Minn., where her father was a cattle farmer, her mother, a teacher.

"I came from a supportive family unit," Duke said. "We were taught to always tell the truth. And that if you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything. It may sound trite but that's how I've always tried to live my life."

The honesty, integrity and loyalty that she learned from her parents guide her today. Those traits are mentioned often when her colleagues are asked, "What's Beth Duke like?"

"I've been doing work like this for more than 50 years," said Ron Dennis, COO and president of Farm Fresh. "I've been among some of the most humanitarian people you'll meet, but I've never met anyone I consider more of a humanitarian than Beth."

Dennis met Duke when he came to Hampton Roads 13 years ago and together they have put into action the 45-store chain's longtime commitment to the hospital. About six years ago Farm Fresh launched its "roundup" campaign to support CHKD's cancer treatment center and, with mostly nickels and dimes collected at the cash register, the company has raised nearly $5 million for the cause.

Duke's character was tested, and strengthened, in 1968, when her Navy husband, John Houge, was lost at sea in a submarine accident. Then secretary to the hospital's top executive, Duke was 26 and far from family. But CHKD had also become "family," and so she decided to stay.

The tragedy, she said, has helped her relate to families coping with the loss of a child.

"I don't have a southern accent so the families often asked where I'm from," Duke said. "When they heard my story, they knew I could empathize. And they saw how tragedy could be turned into something positive."

In those early days, Bill Selvey, Duke's boss, believed in her. Typing may not have been her talent, but Selvey recognized her many other skills, and soon Duke began doing public relations, hiring and purchasing.

"Bill had the attitude that we shouldn't be afraid to talk to the press," Duke said, "that we should tell the good stories but also the bad and the ugly ones. The hospital became a public platform to share the good things we were doing, And I became the first director of public relations at a Virginia hospital."

She describes those early years of dreams and growth as "a magical time" at the hospital. In the '70s, CHKD became the headquarters for the pediatric department of Eastern Virginia Medical School. It established a neonatal ICU and, through philanthropy, completed its first major expansion - 40 beds, specialized labs, diagnostic clinics and outpatient services,

And Beth Duke was everywhere. In patients' rooms, offering comfort, uncovering stories. Up and down the hallways, talking to doctors, nurses, staffers, so she could advocate for them. Networking with donors and board members, so she'd know them personally. Meeting with suppliers, to place orders. Communicating all to hospital officials.

Listening and communicating emerged as her great gifts.

"Back in those days, no one gave me a job description," she said. "It was just instinctual. I felt that if you go above and beyond what you're supposed to do, the rest will follow."

What followed, in the '80s, were more dreams realized, both for CHKD and Duke.

Early in the decade Duke was named director of community relations, which put her in charge of a comprehensive fund-raising program as well as public relations, volunteer services and the gift shop. By 1989 she had graduated to senior vice president of community relations and development.

The hospital also made quantum leaps - by establishing the Children's Health System to guide future expansion, by opening a surgery program, initially with eight operating rooms. Duke helped to facilitate both initiatives and she also assisted with other major developments in the '80s including the building of a Ronald McDonald House, the creation of the Children's Miracle Network Telethon and the launch of Kidstuff, a glossy magazine intended to strengthen the relationship between donors and the hospital. Duke's hard work in the community produced a roster of local leaders who pledged their support to CHKD.

And in the '80s, she became close with the Nuckols family. At age 6, Matthew Nuckols was diagnosed with a rare form of multiple sclerosis; he died in 1987 at age 12. During the years of his illness, CHKD was one of Matthew's favorite places to be.

"Beth was always there for us with love and support," said Sharon Nuckols, his mother. She and her husband, former Chesapeake residents, now live in Atlanta.

"Beth would always come to our room, asking how was it going, did we need anything. She helped to make CHKD a safe and loving place for us. Her job was her passion and her calling, and she was blessed to find it early in life."

After Matthew's death, Duke approached the Nuckols family, at the right time, about an endowment fund. The couple established a teaching fund in their son's name, for pediatric residents working with unusual diseases. The fund exists to this day, as does their relationship with Duke, "through her wonderful letters about what's going on at the hospital," said Nuckols.

Dubby Wynne, retired CEO of Landmark Communications in Norfolk and current rector of the University of Virginia, also lost a child - in 1984, to leukemia after about four years of treatment at CHKD. Wynne has been a board member of the hospital, and he and his wife were instrumental in establishing Ghent's Ronald McDonald House, a home away from home for the families of seriously ill children at CHKD.

"Beth is a tremendous asset and she will be missed," Wynne said. "She has a wonderful demeanor, not overly aggressive but thoughtful and friendly in a genuine way. She was particularly good working with the [King's Daughters] circles in the early days. She was always good at what she does but as she matured, she became more and more capable of calling on anyone."

Often, Wynne said, before Duke popped the big question, a donor would ask her, "How can I help?"

Bruce Forsberg, who has since retired with her husband to the Middle Peninsula near Deltaville, got to know Duke well when Forsberg chaired the hospital board.

"Beth was the one who kept us all steady during times of upheaval at the hospital, like when we lost one administrator and hired another," Forsberg said. "She is a problem-solver, always focused on what's best for the hospital, with a remarkable ability to see all sides of the situation."

Duke's talents and accomplishments will be celebrated at a CHKD retirement party in her honor this spring. Right now she is still at work in her office part-time, helping her replacement, Stephanie Adler Calliott, a Norfolk native and veteran of the banking industry, transition into the position of senior vice president of development.

Although she expects to consult with and volunteer for CHKD for a long time to come, Duke expects to officially retire at the end of this month, ready to settle into her new lifestyle with her husband Tom Duke, whom she married in 1969.

Tom, who's been retired for four years and is a wood turner by hobby, spends much time in his workshop in their new Williamsburg home. Beth, who calls herself "an exercise enthusiast," hopes to enjoy the area's rolling terrain from atop her bicycle.

The Dukes, who have established a charitable gift annuity with CHKD, are travelers and are considering a trip to New Zealand, visits to the Northeast and Southwest of this country, maybe a cruise.

Right now Duke is on the boards of the Suffolk Community Foundation, Harbor's Edge Foundation and the Fort Norfolk Retirement Community, and although she is new to Williamsburg, she expects to become involved there soon.

She will continue to mentor the young adult children of the many friends and colleagues who ask her to talk to their kids about loyalty and longevity on the job. That's another example of turning loss into gain: Duke could never have children of her own.

Commitment and hard work are favorite topics for Duke, a 44-year employee. Nationally, the average director of development stays on the job 23 months, she said. nib