Rash's Surname Index
Notes for James Hustead SEMANS
News & Observer, The (Raleigh, NC) - April 23, 2005
Deceased Name: Philanthropist, surgeon James H. Semans dies
James H. Semans, a noted philanthropist and retired Duke University surgeon described as a giant in the field of medical science and in his generosity of spirit, died at his Durham home Thursday. He was 94.
Semans epitomized the physician with a passion for the arts.
"This is a man that was so far ahead of his time that we never appreciated him enough, except in retrospect," said Dr. Saul Boyarsky, a retired urologist and Duke University professor.
Semans, a native of Uniontown, Pa., was the husband of Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans for more than half a century. And he was well-known for his contributions to the arts as for his pioneering urology work with paralyzed World War II veterans.
"He was a physician who was a wonderful clinician and teacher whose passion extended to the arts and human relations, the needs of the disabled and beyond," Duke President Richard Brodhead said in a statement. "He will be missed at Duke and across North Carolina, where his rich legacy will be felt for decades to come."
In the 1960s, he was instrumental in the founding of the N.C. School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. He was the first chairman of the school's board of trustees and served in that role for 17 years. A message on the school Web site Friday evening said, "Dr. Semans will be missed every day in both great and small ways by our students, employees and boards."
The human condition
Semans, the youngest of seven boys and one girl, knew at age 15 that he wanted to be a doctor. In his autobiography, "Coming of Age," Semans wrote, "I really wanted to do something for the illness of mankind, but all along I wanted to be a doctor of the human condition."
He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1936, four years after earning a bachelor's degree from Princeton University.
During World War II, he developed a bladder operation designed to drain urine from people with severe spinal-cord injuries and prevent kidney failure. Semans served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps for 2 1/2 years.
While serving at McGuire General Hospital in Virginia, he cared for hundreds of injured soldiers. He developed a fascination and passion for people with disabilities and became a lifelong advocate for those populations.
He worked in private practice in Atlanta for six years and arrived at Duke University in the 1950s as a surgeon and associate professor of urology. He was promoted to full professor in 1961.
Nurturing doctors
As an early advocate for social medicine, Semans always was quick to take up-and-coming physicians under his wing. He would nurture them as young doctors, encourage them in their research and take an interest in their lives outside the hospital.
People remember him as a humble man who was just as friendly and engaging with the janitors in the hospital as he was with the top brass.
In 1953, Semans married Mary Duke Biddle Trent, the great-granddaughter of Washington Duke, for whom Duke University was named. Together they did much charitable work, particularly with the arts. Those who knew the couple say they complemented each other.
At Duke University Medical Center, they helped establish the Health Arts Network. They were heavily involved with the creation of Duke's new $23 million Nasher Museum of Art, which is scheduled to open in the fall.
"He was a very valiant person," said Marion Salinger, who is working on a history of the arts in Durham. "The arts couldn't have gone anywhere without his support and his productivity."
For 48 years, he served on the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, which finances charitable activities at Duke and other institutions in North Carolina and New York. As part of his work for that organization, he helped establish the Ciompi Quartet and the Institute of Arts.
Throughout his life, Semans served on dozens of nonprofit boards. He was president of the N.C. Society for Crippled Children and Adults and vice president of the National Paraplegia Foundation and served on the Governor's Committee for Employment of the Handicapped. While a member of the N.C. Arts Council, he suggested establishing an emerging artists program that today is in many communities across the state.
His philanthropic work was noticed by many, and throughout his nine decades both he and his wife received numerous awards and honors.
Funeral is Tuesday
A funeral is set for 11 a.m. Tuesday at Duke Chapel.
In addition to his wife of 52 years, Semans is survived by seven children, Mary Trent Jones of Abingdon, Va.; Sally Trent Harris of Charlotte; Rebecca Trent Kirkland of Houston; Barbara Trent Kimbrell of Sullivan's Island, S.C.; Jenny Semans Koortbojian of Durham; James Duke Biddle Trent Semans of Chapel Hill; and Beth Semans Hubbard of Los Angeles; 16 grandchildren; and 22 great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the Semans Art Fund at the N.C. School of the Arts or the James H. Semans Fund, Duke University Division of Urology.
(Duke University News Services contributed to this report.)
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