Duke

This is the final posting to this emergency website about the accident that occurred at the Levine Science Research Center on the Duke University campus on May 14, 2008. A steamline rupture in the building’s mechanical room caused the building to be evacuated and resulted in the tragic death of Rayford Cofer, a Duke employee and master steam fitter.

Duke’s Office of News and Communications posted updates on the site for six days, through Monday, May 19, 2008.

Duke’s University’s Office of News and Communications (ONC) launched this emergency website on Wednesday afternoon, May 14, 2008, following the accident at the LSRC. This is the first time ONC used the site, which it created several months earlier to enhance Duke’s tools for communicating with students, employees and others during an emergency.

Later today, we plan to archive the material that appears here, freeing up the site for possible use in a future emergency. Before we do, we welcome your feedback about whether you’ve found the site useful and your suggestions about how we might improve it. Please send your comments to ben.riseling@duke.edu.

Thanks.

[Posted 10:20 a.m., Monday, May 19, 2008]

The LSRC has resumed normal hours of operation as of 8 a.m. Saturday. Your Duke ID badge should work normally and allow 24-hour access, including all day Sunday.

To allow further cleanup activities to proceed Saturday, people are asked to stay out of the LSRC C&D wing basement unless you work in the area. There are no other planned utility shutdowns at this time, so the building will remain available to all researchers. The drain system has been repaired throughout the entire building, so researchers may resume research in all wings, including C&D. The Reverse Osmosis system has been recertified and available to all users. Electricity has been restored and all fume hoods should be working.

At this time, normal authorized access to the LSRC Vivarium will be available to researchers beginning at 8 a.m. Sunday, May 18.

The steam and hot water remain off.

(Posted 8:15 a.m. Saturday, May 17)

The family of Rayford Cofer has asked that any donations in his memory be made to the Landmark Baptist Church, 3149 Walters Rd., Creedmoor, NC 27522.

[Posted 8:10 p.m.]

All wings of the LSRC will be open Saturday, May 17, from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Sunday hours will be determined based on the need for additional maintenance work. The decision about Sunday hours will be posted here when it becomes available.

[Posted at 6:07 p.m.]

The LSRC’s A and B wings will be open on Friday until 5 p.m. The C and D wings will close at 3 p.m. to allow workers to initiate repairs to the drain system. The entire LSRC will be open on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday’s schedule will be posted at this site once a decision is reached.

(Posted 9 a.m. Friday, May 16)

The funeral for Rayford Cofer, the Duke master steamfitter killed Wednesday in an accident at the Levine Science Research Center, will be held Saturday, May 17, at Landmark Baptist Church, 3149 Walters Road, Creedmoor.

Visitation with the family will be held from 1 to 2 p.m., with the service beginning at 2 p.m. Burial will follow the service at the church. Information about donations will be posted as soon as it becomes available.

(Posted 9:10 a.m.)

As previously announced, the LSRC will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday.

[Posted 6:10 p.m.]

“A Generous Friend and a Master Craftsman” is the title of a new Duke Today article in which former colleagues recall the life of Rayford Cofer, who was tragically killed Wednesday in the LSRC accident. “He was a multi-talented individual, an extremely hard worker, very intelligent and had a great sense of humor,” one colleague says. “He’d come up with some of the funniest things.”

The article appears at: http://news.duke.edu/2008/05/cofer.html.

[Posted at 5:40 p.m.]

Duke has lowered its university flag to half-staff in honor of Rayford Cofer, who died Wednesday afternoon in the accident at LSRC.

Photo: Les Todd, Duke University Photography

[Posted: 3:30 p.m., May 15, 2008]