Dorothy DeLay: Musical Genius, and One Hell of a Shrink

Andrew Thomas

Many years ago, I served on a faculty advisory committee for the Pre-College Division. We met once a month in the dean's office, and there I first saw Dorothy DeLay-the presence of a legend. As she sat regally in her chair, what struck me then (and remained as an enduring impression) was actually how unassuming she was, how direct and practical. In our sometimes-sensitive committee deliberations, Miss DeLay was imperturbable, and invariably certain that a fine solution to our difficulties would be found. She brought a stabilizing authority to the room and a sly sense of humor. I quickly came to like her and to respect her judgment.

I tested her sense of humor in 1994, when I became director of the Pre-College Division. After a first meeting in my office, I pointed to the door and said: "Outside, Dorothy! You'll find your mop and pail. Get to work!" She burst into laughter and, in the coming years, we teased each other as we worked together on difficult Pre-College problems. Her zest for life and learning made her a role model, especially the defiance she displayed toward old age, which she brushed aside as an unavoidable nuisance disrupting her engagement with students, travel, concerts, and awards. Miss DeLay was always immaculately dressed and coifed, and she drove her electric wheelchair like a royal coach, inspiring awe at her elegant procession.

Miss DeLay's impact on her Pre-College violinists was immense. What an experience for a young, gifted artist to enter her room, knowing the history of her studio. To become a member of that long line of students was an achievement in itself. To submit to the discipline of the studio work was exhilarating and scary at the same time, because Miss DeLay expected standards, standards, standards—plus (impossible to conceive!) genuine personal expression, insight, and maturity. To undergo the development that occurred in these lessons was to find out who one is, and what kind of artist one can be. Miss DeLay's beam of insight was penetrating and truthful, and she forged the kind of student-teacher relationship that was as influential and vital as the parent-child bond.

Goodbye, Dorothy. Thank you.