Almost two thousand attendees poured into the Duke Chapel Monday to bid farewell to beloved philanthropist Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans.
The funeral service for the great-granddaughter of Washington Duke, the University’s namesake, included remarks from some of the University’s and local communities’ most prominent figures including President Richard Brodhead, Durham Mayor Bill Bell and former North Carolina governor James Hunt, who worked with Semans throughout his political career. The turnout, which left some in standing-room only space, was a testament to the countless connections Semans forged in her lifetime and her talent for befriending nearly anyone she met.
“This would thrill Mary, and to tell the truth, she’d probably blush a little bit,” said Thomas Kenan, trustee of the Charlotte-based Duke Endowment and board member for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Kenan had known Semans for about 40 years.
Semans, who died Wednesday at the age of 91 at Duke Hospital, was a prominent force within the University and public service, serving on the Board of Trustees from 1961 to 1981 and on the Durham City Council beginning in 1951. Semans, the first woman elected to the city council, also served as Durham’s first female mayor pro tempore from 1953 to 1955. She also served as chair of the Duke Endowment, founded by her great-uncle James Buchanan Duke, from 1982 to 2001.
The service was particularly fitting for Semans, said Rev. Dennis Campbell, former dean of the Divinity School and fellow trustee of the Duke Endowment. The service was a true reflection of her immense passion for the arts—Semans helped found the UNC School of the Arts and the Nasher Museum of Art—as it featured a number of musical performances, including one by the a cappella group Durham Carolers and an arrangement of “The Impossible Dream” by Greg Walter of the School of the Arts.
Campbell, Trinity ’67, had known Semans since his days as an undergraduate.
“There was nobody who loved Duke University more or was more committed to its growth and its well being and its improvement,” Campbell said in an interview Sunday. “What was always remarkable about Mrs. Semans was that she was always pushing all of us to improve and to think in new ways.”
In his greeting, Dean of the Chapel Sam Wells described Semans as the “twinkle” of the eye of Duke, Durham and North Carolina.
“She pierced our souls with love,” he said.
Brodhead noted Semans’ ability to make even outsiders feel welcome, recalling the first time he met Semans as a newly appointed president in 2003. Semans, with her unique skill developing personal relationships, was able to make anyone feel at home. He noted Semans’ unfailing thoughtfulness that manifested in the customary thank you notes she was known for sending.
“If you knew Mary, then you mattered,” he said.
Hunt’s remarks spoke to Semans’ public spirit, noting that her role on the board of the governor’s Executive Mansion Fine Arts Committee meant that North Carolina governors were always considering Semans’ thoughts, which often encouraged setting big goals for the state.
“When you needed someone to validate a progressive idea, there was no better way than to call on Mary Semans,” Hunt said.
Hunt noted how Semans ignited “a resolve to do more” in the state’s leaders and he said that those in the audience should adopt a similar can-do spirit in order to make North Carolina all that it can be.
“That’s exactly what Mary would want,” he said.
Long-time friend of Semans, Joel Fleishman, also remarked on Semans’ strength and sincere perseverance, though this time in the context of her philanthropy and role as a devoted mother and grandmother. Invariably kind and compassionate, Semans lived to serve others.
“Magnanimity, thy name is Mary Semans,” said Fleishman, former legal assistant to former University President Terry Sanford and professor of law and public policy sciences.
Kenan said he never learned as much from anyone—besides his own father—as he did from Semans. He noted Semans’ work at the School of the Arts, adding that she knew each student individually and followed them closely throughout their careers, sending flowers or cards when the occasion called.
“The opportunity to help was never in short supply with Mary,” he said.
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