OBIT (WP) - Gladys Duncan, 108, Dies; Activist, Opera Singer's Wife

[Burma Jones]

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Gladys Duncan, 108, the elegant, charming and formidable civic activist and the wife of Todd Duncan, the celebrated baritone, died March 9 at her home in Washington. She had arteriosclerosis and cardiac arrhythmia.

Mrs. Duncan, a former elementary school teacher, spent many years supporting the work of her husband, the original Porgy in the Gershwin folk opera "Porgy and Bess" and the first black performer to join the New York City Opera. His refusal to sing to whites-only audiences in Washington led to the desegregation of the National Theatre and other area theaters.

She also settled into a career of activism, and in time the roster of her civic involvement became a running joke in her family.

"Washington is the only city where I am Gladys Duncan's husband," Todd Duncan once said.

For years, she was a Democratic Party volunteer and participated in Community Chest drives. In 1955, she became the first black member of the Woman's National Democratic Club. She walked picket lines to desegregate such places as the Peoples Drug Store at 14th and U streets NW.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35430-2005Mar14.html