Delta Dorsch (March 26, 1915 – January 28, 2011) was an educator, story-teller and preserver of the cultural history of the
United States Virgin Islands
The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...
. Teaching for 38 years, working with the Department of Education and the Commission on the Preservation of Virgin Islands Culture, Dorsch was a tireless advocate for conserving traditions of the Virgin Islands and teaching as a means of giving them life. She contributed two books on the history and traditions of the country and received many awards and honors in recognition of her work.
Early life
Delta M. Jackson was born on March 26, 1915, in
Frederiksted
Frederiksted ( Danish for "Frederik's Place") is both a town and one of the two administrative districts of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. It is a grid-planned city, designed by surveyor Jens Beckfor, originally to 14x14 blocks but built 7x7 t ...
, on the island of
St. Croix in the
Danish West Indies
The Danish West Indies () or Danish Virgin Islands () or Danish Antilles were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with , Saint John () with , Saint Croix with , and Water Island.
The islands of St ...
, shortly before the territory became the U.S. Virgin Islands. After earning her high school degree, one of the first generation of women from St. Croix to do so, she obtained a degree in education from
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University (CMU) is a Public university, public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1892 as a private normal school and became a state institution in 1895. CMU is one of the eigh ...
. Continuing with her education, Jackson earned a master's degree from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
(NYU) in 1951 and immediately enrolled to complete her doctorate at
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
in school administration. After finishing her PhD, Jackson furthered her education in Europe, studying education at the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
and the
University of Heidelberg
Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is List ...
, as part of the NYU Graduate Program.
Career
Returning to the Virgin Islands, Jackson began working as an elementary school teacher in the early 1950s. In 1955, she married Frederick Delos Dorsch, who served as the Superintendent of Schools in the Virgin Islands prior to his death in 1960. Continuing to teach in the Virgin Island school system for thirty-eight years, Dorsch also taught both undergraduate and graduate courses at the
University of the Virgin Islands
The University of the Virgin Islands (or UVI) is a public historically black land-grant university in the United States Virgin Islands.
History
UVI was founded as the College of the Virgin Islands on March 16, 1962. In 1986, it officially becam ...
(UVI) at the campus on St. Croix. Between 1977 and 1982, she served the Virgin Islands Department of Education, as deputy commissioner of curriculum and worked as chairman of the board at St. Dunstan's Episcopal School.
Dorsch was dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage, serving on the Commission on the Preservation of Virgin Islands Culture. She used storytelling to generate a platform for cultural conservation and collected folk tales to keep them alive. In 1983, when the St. Croix Heritage Dancers Organization inaugurated their annual ball, which recognizes two citizens for their contributions to cultural heritage, Dorsch and Vincent Harris were the chosen first honorees. After her retirement in 1988, Dorsch participated in many storytelling events, such as the Senegal
Folklife Festival held at the
Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., in 1990. She had particular interest in saving stories of
Bru Nansi and
Jumbie, which are particular to the Virgin Islands and its African past. She wrote a book entitled ''The Role of the Storyteller in the Preservation of Virgin Islands Culture'' (1999) and contributed to ''The Glory Days of Frederiksted'' (2004).
In 2010, UVI named the campus residence halls in her honor and Frederiksted's Dorsch Beach also bears her name. Dorsch is the eponym of The Elena Christian School's National Honor Society program.
Death and legacy
Dorsch died at the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center, in
Christiansted, United States Virgin Islands
Christiansted ( , ; ) is the largest town on Saint Croix, one of the main islands of the United States Virgin Islands, a territory of the United States of America. The town is named after King Christian VI of Denmark.
History
The town was found ...
, on January 28, 2011. Posthumously, she was honored by a celebration of her 100th birthday in 2015 to recognize the importance of storytellers in preserving the cultural history of the Virgin Islands.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorsch, Delta
1915 births
2011 deaths
United States Virgin Islands educators
Women educators
American storytellers
Women storytellers
20th-century American women writers
21st-century American women writers
20th-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
American women non-fiction writers
Central Michigan University alumni
New York University alumni
Columbia University alumni
Alumni of the University of London
Heidelberg University alumni
University of the Virgin Islands faculty
20th-century American women academics