Delma Eugene Presley

Delma Eugene Presley died on January 8, 2026, at home with his family after a

courageous journey with Parkinson’s disease. He was Professor Emeritus of English

and a former museum director at Georgia Southern University.

Delma, known locally as “Del,” was a native of Tallulah Falls, Georgia. He

spent most of his youth in Toccoa, Georgia, where he was active in church, school,

and sports activities. He was the town’s first Eagle Scout and attended the World

Scout Jamboree in Ontario, Canada, in 1955. He was a 1957 graduate of Toccoa High

School. During his senior high school and college years at Piedmont College and

Mercer University, Del worked at radio station WNEG (“Wonderful Northeast

Georgia” in Toccoa) in various roles, including as disc jockey. This experience

equipped him with valuable communication skills that he utilized throughout his life.

After receiving the BA degree from Mercer University in 1961, Del married

Beverly Bloodworth of Columbus, Georgia, also a Mercer graduate. In 1964, Del

received a Divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisville,

Kentucky. Del then focused on literature, religion, and history at Emory University’s

Institute of the Liberal Arts where he received the Ph.D. in 1969. Del and his growing

family moved to Statesboro in 1969 where he began his career as an English

professor. He was named Professor of the Year in 1980. Awarded a yearlong research

fellowship by the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1974, Del received an

NEH grant to conduct research and plan public programs for residents of the

Altamaha River Valley of Georgia. In 1986, Del was one of the recipients of the first

Governor’s Awards in the Humanities from Governor Joe Frank Harris.

From 1982 until his retirement in 1999, Del organized and managed a teaching

museum of natural and cultural history at Georgia Southern. Active in professional

organizations, he was a founding member of the Bulloch County Historical Society

and served as chairman of the Jack N. and Addie D. Averitt Foundation. He was

author, co-author, and editor of books, essays, and documentaries. During his

retirement, he wrote his university’s history, The Southern Century. Del was a

longtime member of the First Presbyterian Church of Statesboro, where he served as

an elder, a choir member, and a Sunday school teacher.

Del is preceded in death by his parents, Willie Freeman Presley and Addie

Franklin Presley, and by his younger brother, Anthony Freeman Presley.

Del is survived by his wife of 64 years, Beverly Bloodworth Presley, his son

Jonathan Worth Presley, his daughter Susan Franklin Presley, and his son Edwin

Brockman Presley (Traci), all of Statesboro. He is also survived by his brother Bob

Presley (Susie) of Toccoa, Georgia; his sister-in-law Donna Patterson Presley of

Clayton, Georgia; and his aunt, Margaret Ralston Franklin of Oxford, Georgia. Del is

also survived by his four grandchildren: Amy Peterson (Herbie), William Presley

(Johnna), Brockman Presley (Kelsey), and Chandler Presley.

There will be a graveside service at Eastside Cemetery on Monday, January 12,

2026, at 11:30 am. The service will be officiated by the Rev. Lainie Jenkins.

Memorial contributions may be given to the First Presbyterian Church of

Statesboro, the Georgia Southern University Museum or the Special Collections of

the Library, c/o the Georgia Southern University Foundation, P.O. Box 8053

Statesboro, GA 30460.