Dorothy Mayo (Morris) was born on August 11, 1908, in Orono, Maine. After she entered the University of Maine she became a member of the Gamma Chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi. She majored in romance languages and graduated in 1930.
Dorothy Mayo is third from right in the second row from the bottom in the Alpha Omicron Pi photo.
After graduation she was involved with an Alpha Omicron Pi alumnae chapter. Employed by the University of Maine library, she was working at the circulation desk when a newly hired public speaking instructor asked for a tour. She showed him around the library and after he left she realized he’d forgotten his hat. Charmed by his personality, she hid the hat so that when he returned for it, she would be the one to give it to him. A few months later on December 18, 1930, Dorothy Mayo married Delyte Morris, the young instructor from Illinois who was teaching and working on his Master’s degree at the university.
Maine Campus, January 15, 1931 (I suspect motoring to and from Orono to Belleville, Illinois, in the 1930s took a week each way.)
After Delyte Morris finished his degree at Maine, he started on a doctorate at the University of Iowa. There were academic teaching stops at the Junior College of Kansas City in Missouri, Indiana State Teacher’s College in Terre Haute, and The Ohio State University. Dr. Morris, his wife and sons Peter and Michael were in Maine with the Mayo family when the call came with the offer to come to Southern Illinois.
When the family arrived in Carbondale in 1948, it was a small teacher’s college with about 3,000 students. At President Morris’ retirement in 1971, SIUC was a Carnegie R2 university with 30,000+ students. The growth that had taken place under Delyte Morris was phenomenal.
“First Lady” Dorothy Morris played a large role in the success of SIUC. She was a charming hostess who entertained students, faculty and visiting dignitaries with the same grace and charm. Each fall as students arrived, the Morrises would host a watermelon feast on their lawn. She spoke to countless organizations throughout Southern Illinois and shared insights about her husband’s vision for the SIUC with her audiences. The University and those who contributed to the institution – students, faculty, staff, supporters – were family to her. Her genuine warmth and concern was evident in her day-to-day activities.
She helped grow and nurture the SIUC Women’s Club for faculty wives and female employees. As Honorary President of the organization, club events would often take place in the Morris home at 1006 S. Thompson Street, where Faner Hall is now.
She was a member of the Carbondale Women’s Club, AAUW, a garden club, and P.E.O. She was a founding member of the Carbondale City Panhellenic when it began in 1955.
Southern Illinoisan, April 9, 1958
Later in her life, Dorothy Morris was an honorary member of the SIU Foundation Board of Directors. There are scholarships and fellowships at SIU in honor of Delyte and Dorothy Morris. Each year, the SIU Women’s Club offers a Dorothy Morris Scholarship.
She received the SIU Distinguished Service Award in 1981, a year before her husband died of Alzheimer’s disease. She was awarded an honorary degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 1998, the first honorary degree conferred jointly by both institutions.
In 2001, anonymous patrons donated funds for the creation of the Dorothy Morris Kumakura Garden and a statue. Sculpted by Erin Palmer, the statue is by Faner Hall near the site of the former lawn of the President’s House. The garden is at the back of Faner near the small parking lot for Morris Library.
At her 100th birthday celebration, the SIUC Foundation awarded her its Medallion of Distinction. She died on June 15, 2010 at the age of 101.
