{"id":27018,"date":"2022-06-03T16:38:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T20:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=27018"},"modified":"2023-10-19T14:52:38","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T18:52:38","slug":"telling-the-story-of-resilience-and-determination-memorial-display-unveiled-to-name-the-w-duke-kimbrell-atrium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/2022\/06\/telling-the-story-of-resilience-and-determination-memorial-display-unveiled-to-name-the-w-duke-kimbrell-atrium\/","title":{"rendered":"Telling The Story of Resilience and Determination: Memorial Display Unveiled to Name the W. Duke Kimbrell Atrium"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
Those who knew him often use a common phrase to describe W. Duke Kimbrell \u201949: a force to be reckoned with. His journey to success is truly remarkable.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He went from sweeping the floors as a 14-year-old summer employee at Parkdale Mills, the largest consumer of cotton in the United States and the world\u2019s leading manufacturer of spun yarns, to leading the organization as its president and CEO. Today, he is ranked the second most influential textile executive in the 20th century by Textile World Magazine. Without his unmatched work ethic, this wouldn\u2019t have been possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before becoming a national textile leader, Kimbrell\u2019s path took him first to NC State. After serving courageously in World War II, he followed his passion for textiles to the Wilson College of Textiles<\/a> \u2014 known then as the School of Textiles. During holiday breaks, Kimbrell always returned to Parkdale to work. After graduating in 1949 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in textiles, he took his talents to Parkdale full time. The spirited young man quickly rose through the ranks and by 1967, Kimbrell had been named president and chairman of the company. Under his extraordinary leadership, Parkdale ballooned from having a single mill and 200 employees to becoming an organization with 26 plants, over 5,000 workers and $1 billion in annual sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n