Berry Dilley interview by Heidi Welte, 09 April 2026
Transcript of Dilley Wilte Interview
Interviewee
Dilley, Berry
Interviewer
Welte, Heidi
Interview Date
4-9-2026
Description
Berry Dilley studied dance at the University of Connecticut and later earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in dance from Florida State University. In 1971, she moved to Athens, Ohio and taught movement in the theater department at Ohio University until 1979. Thereafter, she got a degree in counseling and started teaching meditation. She remained in Athens with her husband, Dr. James Dilley, an Ohio University physics professor. Over the years, they hosted international students, many of whom came to regard her as family and have remained in touch with her. In 1997, she found herself caring for three ill and dying family members: her elderly mother, her sister, already visually and hearing impaired, who had been diagnosed with brain cancer, and her husband, who had been diagnosed with dementia. Realizing she was likely not the only person feeling overwhelmed caring for ill family members she founded Athen’s disability commission. She continues to live in Athens, helping to mentor students in Ohio University’s gerontology program.
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Keywords
Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, teaching, theater, acting movement, meditation, dance, international students, disability advocacy
Disciplines
Oral History
Publication Date
2026
Interview Location
Athens, Ohio
Digital Publisher
Ohio University Libraries
Document Type
Oral History
Duration
01:27:30
File Format
audio/mpeg
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Dilley, Berry and Welte, Heidi N., "Berry Dilley interview by Heidi Welte, 09 April 2026" (2026). HIST 4798/5798: Recording Memory: Methods and Uses of Oral History. 27.
https://ohioopen.library.ohio.edu/hist4798/27