Duke Photography
The choir leaves the sanctuary at the close of the service.
Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans was remembered as a vibrant force for good in Durham, in North Carolina and beyond at a funeral attended by some 1,800 mourners today at Duke Chapel.
Semans, Duke family descendent and dedicated philanthropist, died Wednesday at the age of 91. Today, the worlds of politics, the arts and higher education came together to honor her in a music-filled ceremony that included a string quartet, an African-American gospel choir and UNC School of the Arts students performing "The Impossible Dream."
Former Gov. Jim Hunt described how Semans would capture people's attention with her kind, but steely gaze, and encourage them to work harder to help build a fair society and improve education, health care and the arts. He asked how many in the crowd had received a handwritten note from Semans. Hands shot up.
"I still have the last one she sent to me," the former governor said. "When you read it, you felt like you were king of the world. I don't care every newspaper in North Carolina was cussing you, Mary said you were doing good. And you went out and did more."
Joel Fleishman, professor of law and public policy, called Semans "the heart and soul of Duke."
"Mary herself said in an interview 15 years ago, 'Philanthropy is an attitude. It's a dedication to the people around you,'" Fleishman said.
Semans for decades worked for the various Duke family foundations that have poured millions into the Carolinas' universities, churches and arts organizations. She was beloved in Durham, where she was the first woman to serve as mayor pro tem and was involved in early efforts to register black voters during the Civil Rights era. She did all that while raising seven children and being the living link to Duke University's founding family.
"Don't let the mile-high stack of Mary's achievements distract you from what made them possible, what powered them. For that you must look inside her. ... She was invariably kind to and gentle with everyone, regardless of their station in life. She lived to do good for others. Indeed, she lived for others."
