Celebrated opera singer dies, had Schenectady childhood
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After growing up in Schenectady and studying mathematics at Vassar, Elizabeth Kingdon-Grünwald became a singer and moved to Germany where she was a celebrated operatic diva known for her interpretations of Wagner. She died in Nuremberg on Jan. 22 at age 92. Her death was announced there by the Pocket Opera Company, which she had been associated with for 45 years.
She was the only child of Kenneth H. Kingdon and Leah May Zeh. Her father was a physicist who joined General Electric in 1920 and did important nuclear research during World War II. He prevailed on his daughter to study math but after obtaining her degree, Mary Elizabeth turned her focus to singing and began working with teachers in New York and Boston.