Terry Speigner, chairman of the Prince George's County Democratic Central Committee, said that Mrs. Britt's experiences during the civil rights movement instilled in her "a quiet confidence" when it came to politics.
"A couple of months ago, I remember talking to her about the Prince George's County hospital system, what's happening and what we needed to accomplish," Mr. Speigner said. "She made a comparison to what she had gone through in the civil rights movement, and said, `This is a cakewalk.' She had had bigger battles in her life."
Mrs. Britt was re-elected chairwoman of the Prince George's County's Senate delegation last week, a job that required her to hold together a group of "colorful characters," said Sen. Lisa A. Gladden.
"Gwen was definitely coming into her own" as a senator, the Baltimore Democrat said. The members of her delegation "had a lot of respect and confidence in her leadership."
Last year, Mrs. Britt helped shepherd a bill through the General Assembly that restored voting rights to ex-offenders, telling The Sun in February that "a person's right to vote is his or her badge of citizenship, and without it all other rights are in jeopardy."
"She had a broader vision of what civil rights meant," said Carl O. Snowden, director of civil rights for Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler, adding that he did not know her well but admired her work from afar. "She saw other groups that had historically been locked out of the system - women, Latinos, gays - and she felt all those left out had to have a place at the table. She will be sorely missed."
Gov. Martin O'Malley said in a statement that Mrs. Britt "was smart, hard-working, dedicated and honest. ... I will always remember the kindness she showed to me personally."
Mrs. Britt graduated from Washington's McKinley High School in 1959. After leaving Howard University to join the Freedom Riders, she did complete her bachelor's degree - in political science from Bowie State University - but not until 2004, more than 40 years later.
Two years before graduation, she retired as a human resources and personnel manager at Giant Food Inc., according to her online state biography.
Funeral arrangements were not available yesterday.
She is survived by her husband, Travis Britt, and two children.
melissa.harris@baltsun.com
