Mary DBT Semans
1920-2012
Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans, a member of the Duke family, was born Mary Duke Biddle in 1920. She enrolled in Duke University at the age of 15 in 1936. In 1939, she married Josiah Charles Trent, a medical student at Duke and later a Surgeon on the Duke faculty. They had four children before Dr. Trent died of lymphoma in 1948. In 1953, Mary Duke Biddle Trent married Dr. James Semans, a Urologist at Duke, and together they had three children.
Along with her support of Duke, Mrs. Semans started many charitable organizations and was an advocate for health care, education, the arts, civil rights, women’s rights, and social justice in the Durham community and beyond.
Some of her many philanthropic, civil, and political activiies included:
- First woman elected to be Mayor pro tempore of Durham (1953-1955)
- Trustee of Lincoln Community Hospital, established to meet the needs of African-American patients in Durham (1948-1976)
- Trustee of Duke University (1961-1981)
- Trustee, Vice President, President, and First Female Chairman of the Duke Endowment
- Mrs. Semans consistently supported Duke University and Duke Medicine through the Duke Endowment, the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation (begun by and named after her mother), the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation, the Josiah Charles Trent Collection of the History of Medicine, the Mary Duke Biddle Scholarship, and other means
She was the recipient of numerous awards including:
- North Carolina Women’s Hall of Fame Indcutee
- Duke University Medal for Distinguished Meritorious Service
- National Brotherhood Award presented by the National Conference of Christians and Jews
- University Award from the University of North Carolinaa
- John Tyler Caldwell Award for the Humanities
- North Carolina Award for Contributions to the Arts
- Hadassa Medical Center’s Freedom Award
- Honorary degrees from North Carolina Central University, Davidson College, Elon University, Shaw University, Pfeiffer University, Campbell University, UNC-Chapel Hill, and NC Wesleyan College
Mrs. Semans died January 25, 2012 in Durham, NC at the age of 91.
Interview
This oral history interview was conducted with Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans on July 27, 2006 by Jessica Roseberry.