A civic leader, noted Rotarian, and hall-of-fame journalist who developed a passion for print media while serving as editor of the Amarillo College student newspaper, The Ranger, is the 2011 recipient of AC’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
Beth Duke attended AC in 1972 and 1973. Her 29-year career with the Amarillo Globe-News was punctuated by her induction into the Panhandle Press Association Hall of Fame. She credits Amarillo College with putting her on track to a successful career.
“The long afternoons I spent in the journalism room and the professional training I received at AC prepared me to go to work in any newsroom, anywhere” Duke said. “I love Amarillo College, and I am honored and thrilled that I was even considered for this award.”
She will be presented with the award Sunday, April 17 during the Amarillo College Honors Convocation, beginning at 2 p.m. in the Amarillo Civic Center Auditorium.
Duke presently serves as executive director of Center City Amarillo, an organization devoted to the revitalization of Downtown Amarillo. But no matter where her career path has led, Duke has always found ways and means to contribute to the mission of Amarillo College.
She has been a member of the board of directors for the AC Foundation since 2005. Duke also served on the External Committee as Amarillo College geared up for the successful bond election of 2007, in which taxpayers supported a $68 million bond issue that continues to spur new construction and renovations across the AC spectrum.
She even served on an advisory panel from 2000-2002 aimed at reaffirmation of AC’s accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, a somewhat mundane and thankless undertaking that involved reading, editing and rewriting hundreds of pages of accreditation documents.
“I know that I benefited from the education I received at Amarillo College, and I just think that makes it my responsibility to give something back,” Duke said. “I certainly have learned a lot about AC since my time as a student, whether it was working toward the bond election or on the accreditation.
“Amarillo College opens the door for so many people who might not otherwise have an opportunity to go to college. I just find that to be incredibly important and certainly worth the effort it sometimes requires.”
Duke is a recognizable figure in and around Amarillo for many reasons. She has served on the Junior League of Amarillo since 1981.
She is a member and past president of Amarillo West Rotary Club and has served as assistant district governor and international counselor for Rotary.
She has served on boards for the Amarillo Area Foundation, High Plains Food Bank, Opportunity School, Downtown YMCA and Preservation Amarillo.
As a student at AC, Duke was on the academic honor roll, a member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society, and competed in intercollegiate journalism competitions.
After AC she attended Baylor University, served as editor of that student newspaper and graduated with honors.
Since then she has been installed in the Amarillo College Journalism Hall of Fame, co-authored the textbook “A Woman’s Place: Management,” and frequently returns to campus to speak to aspiring journalists and students in AC’s Mass Communication Program.