I have come across a persistent rumor amongst my students that Duke University has or had (at some point in its history) a student scholarship that required applicants to write about the ‘virtues’ of smoking. It strikes me as a great local legend but is there any truth to the claim at all?
An archivist in the University Archives with a deep knowledge of Duke history had never heard of such a scholarship and is pretty sure that this is an urban legend. You are welcome, however, to look through the Scholarships Reference Collection in the University Archives. “Collection includes materials concerning scholarships and fellowships awarded by the University and notable scholarships won by Duke students.”