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149 Union Ave
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 529-4000
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
JASON SENSAT DUCKMASTER™
Duckmaster™ Jason Sensat is solely responsible for the care and well-being of The
Peabody Ducks, including feeding, exercise, and training the teams for their twice-daily
marches. When not tending to the five North American mallards, Sensat acts as a public
ambassador for the hotel, greeting guests in the Grand Lobby, conducting tours, and
making media and community appearances.
Jason Sensat was recruited for the position of Duckmaster™ from within the hotel,
having worked in the Human Resources Department since 2003. As Training Manager, Sensat
was responsible for teaching associates everything there is to know about the “South's
Grand Hotel” and conducting training programs on Peabody Service Excellence®, a
registered guest services program that teaches employees Peabody hospitality. “Jason's
experience as Training Manager, as well as his roles at home as a devoted father and
Minister, makes him uniquely suited for the position of Duckmaster™. His keen
understanding of our service culture and standards make him the ideal person for such a
visible role within the hotel,” said Douglas V. Browne, General Manager, The Peabody
Memphis.
Raised in a military home, Sensat has traveled the world and called Texas, Florida,
Maine, Pennsylvania, Spain, and the Azores islands home. In addition to his duck duties
at The Peabody, he acts as a part-time Minister at Faith Assembly of God Church in
Millington, Tennessee. He lives in Arlington, Tennessee, with his wife of eight years,
Patricia, and their two children, Shelby Lynne, age 5, and Jason Carter, age 2.
The time-honored tradition of the March of The Peabody Ducks began at the hotel in
1932. At 11 a.m. each morning, The Peabody Ducks march to John Philip Sousa's “King
Cotton March” along a red carpet from their rooftop Royal Duck Palace the famous
travertine marble fountain in the Grand Lobby. They splash and preen in the lobby until
5 p.m., when the procession reverses and the ducks retire for the evening.
The title Duckmaster™ originated at The Peabody in 1940. Ducks had been a fixture in the
lobby fountain for eight years when the hotel hired a former circus animal trainer
named Edward Pembroke as a Bellman. Pembroke offered to help with delivering the ducks
to the fountain each day and conceived the now-famous Peabody Duck March. Mr. Pembroke
served as Peabody Duckmaster™ for 50 years until retiring in 1991. The late Mr.
Pembroke's portrait hangs in the entrance to The Peabody, a luxury suite is named for
him, and a building in Peabody Place development is named Pembroke Square.
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