Le Bonheur patient named Honorary Duck Master at The Peabody Hotel
AJ Burgess, a 10-year-old heart patient at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and one of our 2019 Champions was named the Honorary Duck Master at The Peabody Hotel in Memphis on June 9, 2019. AJ was honored in front of a large crowd of hotel guests and tourists who traditionally fill the hotel lobby and 2nd floor balcony to see the twice-daily ceremony. The five Peabody ducks are escorted from their enclosed home on the hotel’s rooftop garden to the lobby fountain and back again at the end of the day – it’s a well-known tradition that has been in place since the 1940’s.
AJ was introduced to the crowd, presented with a Honorary Duck Master certificate and a Duck Master cane. He then helped the Duck Master guide the ducks from the fountain, down a red carpet and into the elevator, where they ushered the ducks into their plush, temperature-controlled “apartment” on the roof.
The Peabody Ducks have appeared on the Tonight Show, Sesame Street and the Oprah Winfrey Show as well as in People Magazine. Other Honorary Duck Masters have included: Oprah Winfrey, Gene Simmons, Kevin Bacon, Patrick Swayze, Larry King, Emeril Lagasse, Molly Ringwald and more.
