Profile on Daryle Worley

Daryle Worley was born on 08 December 1931 in Baltimore, Maryland.  His parents relocated to Richmond, Virginia where Daryle attended public school, graduating from Thomas Jefferson High.  Daryle excelled in extracurricular activities such as track and tennis. Darlye played cornet in the band for four years.  This was his real passion.  In 1955, Darlye graduated from Toccoa Falls College located in Toccoa GA.  That is where he earned his BA in Religious Education. Never a wallflower, Daryle played basketball, fast pitch softball and was student director.  He was also the soloist for the college concert choir.  His education continued, earning a B.M. in voice performance in 1959 at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).  While there,  Daryle was a soloist with the concert choir, student director of the Madrigal Singers and a member of the university opera workshop.  His career as a professional student culminated with earning a M.M. degree from VCU in voice performance with a minor in Pedagogy in 1960.

Daryle’s career as an educator began as a faculty member at Toccoa Falls College with vocal/choral responsibilities.  Daryle thought briefly about securing a PH.D. until he learned that in Toccoa, GA that stood for post hole digger. Daryle accepted a position on the music faculty at Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee where he remained from 1963 to 1968, directing the college concert choir and Madrigal Singers.  Daryle moved to Harrogate, Tennessee in 1968, accepting a position at Lincoln Memorial University as voice choral professor.  Daryle organized concert tours for the school concert choir and produced oratorio as well as opera performances. Ever the singing gypsy, Daryle accepted a position as voice choral instructor at Cedarville College in Cedarville, Ohio where he directed the Oratorio Chorus and Orchestra.  Seeking a challenge, Daryle organized a music department at the nearby private six-year Christian Academy in nearby Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. There his duties included directing the concert choir, the chamber singers and the high school and middle school concert bands. His academic career concluded with a fifteen year stint as vocal choir instructor at Toccoa Falls College, where he directed concert choir, chamber singers, ladies ensemble and oratorio chorus.  Daryle taught private voice at each of the colleges where he served on the faculty.     

For over forty years, Daryle’s accomplishments included serving as minister of music at various churches in the communities where he taught.  He presently is a member of the Chancel Choir at First Baptist Church of Toccoa.  Daryle finds time to sing in an audition chorus which rehearses in Clemson, South Carolina.  Daryle has performed for three state governors and with three civic opera societies. His most sterling accomplishment is siring two children, a daughter and son, with his wife Lois of fifty-four years (a volunteer at many race finish areas).  Their daughter is an RN married to a physician.  They have five children, three of whom are runners.  The lone great grandson, a super addition to the family, is the son of their daughter’s oldest son and is, in Daryle’s opinion, “an impressive runner.”  Daryle and Lois’s son is a pastor in Illinois who has four children.  Daryle III is also an accomplished cross country runner and track performer.  Takes one to know one!

Daryle started running in 1968 when he “could not see his feet” at over two hundred pounds. Daryle acknowledges that he is not very fast now but true to his life, “faithful.”  He still has a brisk pace for a man ten years younger (I ought to know).  Daryle credits the running family with keeping him active.  He is also competitive, being one of the top point achievers for his age group six of the previous eight years.  Daryle is so low key few of the running communities usual suspects know his pedigree and all of us hope we can perform as well as Daryle at age eighty!

Bob, checking out from the back of the pack.  Look for the February profile on cancer survivor Barbara Conley and in March on one of UGA’s staff’s top dawg, David Eckles.

Update on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 at 6:01PM by Tim

This was the first runner profile that BBRS posted from Bob Slowpants.  We are saddened that Mr. Worley crossed this earthly finish line into heaven this past Monday 5/18/15.  Since this profile was published, Daryle set the Georgia State Record for his age group at the Santa Stroll in 2012.  We will miss seeing him at our races and our prayers are with Lois and his family.