What is your idea of perfect happiness? Sitting on the beach on a sunny day
What is your greatest fear? Missing an opportunity to meet an interesting person
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Lack of patience
What is the trait you most deplore in others? Not cleaning up after themselves
Which living person do you most admire? The media has made it difficult to admire most people
What is your greatest extravagance? Running shoes
What is your current state of mind? Grateful
What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Balance
On what occasion do you lie? When a student asks for a letter of recommendation and I tell her/him that I have plenty of time to write one
What do you most dislike about your appearance? I’ve stopped counting
Which living person do you most despise? I try not to despise anyone
What is the quality you most like in a man? Warm smile and a firm handshake
What is the quality you most like in a woman? Decisiveness
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? On the other hand
What or who is the greatest love of your life? Health and time (and my mom, of course)
When and where were you happiest? At Duke
Which talent would you most like to have? Ability to run fast and for a long time
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? My metabolism
What do you consider your greatest achievement? It’s yet to happen
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? An Olympic marathoner
Where would you most like to live? Durham, NC
What is your most treasured possession? Health and peace of mind
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Lacking energy
What is your favorite occupation? Working with Duke students, eating and
exercising
What is your most marked characteristic? Being on time
What do you most value in your friends? Not wanting to change me
Who are your favorite writers? J.D. Salinger and Chaim Potok
Who is your hero of fiction? Hard to choose between Boo Radley, Atticus Finch and Scout Finch
Which historical figure do you most identify with? Occasionally and in very limited ways, I identify with Carrie Nation
Who are your heroes in real life? Members of the Duke football team
What are your favorite names? Cutcliffe and Blue Devils
What is it that you most dislike? Tailgate
What is your greatest regret? Never having learned how to speak Polish
How would you like to die? I’d like to live forever
What is your motto? “Forgiveness doesn’t come with a debt” – Mary Chapin Carpenter
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