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-jk
01-25-2012, 04:09 PM
Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans (www.newsobserver.com/2012/01/25/1806181/duke-descendent-mary-duke-biddle.html) died today. She gave her all to make Duke and Durham better.

Anyone who met her would have to agree she was a wonderful lady.

She'll be missed.

-jk

Indoor66
01-25-2012, 04:29 PM
A very sad passing of a wonderful lady. Rest in Peace.

dukedoc
01-25-2012, 04:30 PM
Dear Members of the Duke Community,

I write to report that Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans died today at the age of 91. Mary Semans occupied a unique place in the life of this university. Granddaughter of Benjamin Duke and great-granddaughter of Washington Duke, for whom the university was named, she was our principal link to Duke’s founding generation, and she continued her family’s tradition of benevolence throughout her life. A longtime trustee and our lifelong Durham neighbor, she supported every good thing that has happened at this university, including the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Duke Medicine, the Nasher Museum, and much else. She gave enlightened support to higher education, health care, children, and the Methodist Church throughout the Carolinas as a leader of James B. Duke’s other philanthropic creation, The Duke Endowment of Charlotte. She and her late husband were driving forces behind the creation of the North Carolina School of the Arts. With her lifelong commitment to active citizenship and ci vil rights, she also helped shape the community of Durham, even serving a term as mayor pro tem.

The list could go on and on, but as everyone who met her knows, Mary Semans was more than the sum of her accomplishments. She had a care for others and a belief in human possibility that made every encounter an inspiring event. All who experienced her grace, warmth, enthusiasm and can-do spirit will remember her for years to come. Duke mourns the passing of one of its greatest friends.

A commemoration of Mary Semans’ life and details about the funeral will be available on the DukeToday website: http://today.duke.edu/

Sincerely,

Richard H. Brodhead
President

hurleyfor3
01-25-2012, 06:58 PM
She gave her all to make Duke and Durham better.

In stark contrast to Doris.

Sic transit gloria mundi.

Verga3
01-25-2012, 07:52 PM
Mary's great love and philanthopy for Duke was in her DNA and in her wonderful heart. She will truly be missed. Her legacy and amazing contributions to her beloved University will never be forgotten...Her love and devotion to her family will live on in them. Our deepest sympathy to all of Mary's family and friends. What a life...what a special woman. Duke is Duke largely because of Mary and her family.

Steven43
01-26-2012, 12:28 AM
In stark contrast to Doris.

Sic transit gloria mundi.

How was Mary in stark contrast to Doris?

snowdenscold
01-26-2012, 12:45 AM
As someone who's only been married less than two years now (but happily), it's hard to imagine someone being married for 10 years (4 kids), losing them and becoming a widow for the next 5, then having another marriage of 52 years (3 kids), and finally becoming a widow a second time for the last 7.

29 great-grandchildren though, wow!

sagegrouse
01-26-2012, 09:28 AM
How was Mary in stark contrast to Doris?

Certainly their personal lives were very different, Rubirosa and all that. :rolleyes: But let's keep the discussion to Duke support. Doris Duke was not close to Duke. She died with an estate of $1 Billion. Duke received one percent of that in her will -- which she probably would say was fair, in that JB Duke split his estate in two, with Doris eventually getting one-half and the Duke Endowment getting the other. The Doris Duke Foundation supports the arts and is frequently mentioned as an NPR sponsor. I don't know if the cousins, Mrs. Semans and Ms. Duke were close, but Mrs. Semans was in charge of the sale of the Doris Duke mansion in Manhattan after her death.

I understand from history professor Prof. Durden that Doris Duke also sat for years on the board of the Duke Endowment and had some veto powers. She blocked the diversification away from Duke Power stock, which was the bulk of the bequest from JB Duke, in favor of more growth-oriented stocks. If true, that cost the Endowment and Duke (which gets one-third or so of the proceeds) hundreds of millions.

Mrs. Semans, in my time at Duke a long time ago, was always on campus and, needless to say, was very active at Duke in many, many ways. I last saw her at the Wash Duke a couple of years ago, and she was showing a friend the pictures of the Duke family that are in the side corridor. She was very friendly to me, really a stranger.

sagegrouse

devil84
01-26-2012, 11:01 AM
Mary Semans was a terrific lady. In high school, I rode horses with her daughter. I met her at a horse show as Beth's Mom. Beth and I were hungry and wanted some food, so the two families hopped in my family's Suburban. There were a bunch of us, so I moved the second row of seats and hopped into the third row, followed by Beth's Mom! She was delighted to sit in the back because she said she never got to do that! We went to get hot dogs, which Beth's Mom enjoyed immensely. She was very, very personable, warm, gracious, and so much fun!

Several days later, I learned of her connections to Duke. I couldn't believe that someone of Mary D.B.T. Seman's stature was so easy going and would willingly ride in the very back of a farm-truck Suburban to go get hot dogs! She was just so nice and so normal -- I guess as a high-schooler I thought the rich and famous were supposed to behave like Hollywood stars. In the several other times that we interacted, she taught me through her actions that it doesn't matter what your background is, embrace what you're doing at the moment, whether that's hot dogs from a hot dog stand or a five star reception in your honor.

She was an impressive lady. She will missed.

johnb
01-26-2012, 01:40 PM
The definitive view on Doris Duke: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Duke

Ok, it's actually from wikipedia but seems accurate.

That view of Doris Duke contrasts with what I know of Mary Semans, who I met only once briefly. I had longer interactions with her husband, daughter, and son-in-law (the latter three all being physicians), and they were all down-to-earth, service oriented, smart, and friendly.

Verga3
01-26-2012, 08:19 PM
Mary Semans was a terrific lady. In high school, I rode horses with her daughter. I met her at a horse show as Beth's Mom. Beth and I were hungry and wanted some food, so the two families hopped in my family's Suburban. There were a bunch of us, so I moved the second row of seats and hopped into the third row, followed by Beth's Mom! She was delighted to sit in the back because she said she never got to do that! We went to get hot dogs, which Beth's Mom enjoyed immensely. She was very, very personable, warm, gracious, and so much fun!

Several days later, I learned of her connections to Duke. I couldn't believe that someone of Mary D.B.T. Seman's stature was so easy going and would willingly ride in the very back of a farm-truck Suburban to go get hot dogs! She was just so nice and so normal -- I guess as a high-schooler I thought the rich and famous were supposed to behave like Hollywood stars. In the several other times that we interacted, she taught me through her actions that it doesn't matter what your background is, embrace what you're doing at the moment, whether that's hot dogs from a hot dog stand or a five star reception in your honor.

She was an impressive lady. She will missed.

Thanks for sharing this story. Nothing else to say.