'She cared deeply about this island:' Hilton Head arts leader Gloria Daly dies at 84

Gloria Hume Daly, a leader of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra for almost a quarter of a century, died June 16 in Richmond, Va.

Daly, 84, brought boundless energy to the orchestra and other arts and community institutions after moving from Richmond to Hilton Head Island in 1982. She returned recently to be closer to her children and grandchildren.

"She cared deeply about this island," the orchestra posted on its Facebook page. "She was committed to making a significant and positive difference in the quality of life here. I don’t think anyone would dispute how successful she was at that."

Daley won the 2009 Alice Glenn Doughtie Good Citizenship Award "for selfless service to the community for more than 25 years."

She served the orchestra as general manager, executive director and program director after being hired by board president Willis O. "Bud" Shay in 1991 until retiring in 2015. She introduced its popular "Symphony Under the Stars" event and its outreach and education programs taking musicians into local schools.

The orchestra's history on its website says the "hiring of Gloria Daly is considered one of (Shay's) best decisions. The widely known and respected program director, Gloria was present at every orchestra event and is credited with linking the orchestra with other Hilton Head Island organizations and businesses."

Prior to her work with the orchestra, Daly was active in the Hilton Head Arts Institute and was marketing and sales director for the Community Playhouse, forerunner to the theater at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, for five years. She was special events and development director for the Cultural Council of Hilton Head, which was the driving force behind creation of the arts center. She co-chaired the Arts and Cultural Committee of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce.

She formed the Daly Group, a special-events business handling weddings, parties and activities surrounding the Family Circle Magazine Cup women's professional tennis tournament in Sea Pines. Tennis was a passion for Daly.

Daly also was a familiar face beyond the arts community. She was active in the Hilton Head Rotary Club and the Greater Island Committee. She served on the board of Hope Haven of the Lowcountry, Children's Advocacy and Rape Crisis Center.

She led the residential campaign of the United Way of the Lowcountry.

She was an elder and member of the choir at First Presbyterian Church of Hilton Head.

Daly was reared in London, Ohio. Her mother was a drama coach and she played saxophone and piano and sang in the school glee club.

She earned a degree from Ohio State University in radio and television broadcasting and journalism and then landed a job in New York City as special events director for the National Council of Churches. She married Clark Daly in 1958, and they had three children in Princeton, New Jersey, before moving to Richmond.

In Virginia, Daly was a scheduler in a lieutenant governor's campaign and became executive director of an organization called Bravo Arts.

Woody Funeral Home-Parham in Richmond, Virginia, is in charge of arrangements.

This story was originally published June 20, 2018 at 7:08 AM with the headline "'She cared deeply about this island:' Hilton Head arts leader Gloria Daly dies at 84."