DSU Alumna Dr. Reba Hollingsworth’s 100th Birthday Celebration
For the second time in 2026, a DSU alumna was celebrated as a centurion.
More than 300 people from Delaware and beyond gathered on Oct. 24 at the Modern Maturity Center in Dover to honor Dr. Reba Hollingsworth, Class of 1949, who turned 100 two days later.
For images from the birthday celebration, click on the below link:
Reba Hollingsworth’s 100th Birthday event images
The birthday celebration reflected Dr. Hollingsworth’s impact as a teacher, guidance counselor, and community servant. Many of the attendees were students of DSU alumna when she was a teacher at Williams C. Jason Comprehensive High School (1954-1966) and as a guidance counselor (1966-1988) at Dover High School.
She also taught as an adjunct professor at her DSU alma mater, the University of Delaware, Southern Illinois University, and Wilmington College. She has served as a consultant to the Brandywine College Admissions Department, taught Parent and Teacher Effectiveness Training courses, and co-owned Hollingsworth & Hollingsworth Consultant Services.
Dr. Hollingsworth has served in various leadership positions in her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Inc., over the years. She was the first African American president of the Delaware School Counselors Association, the first president of the Afro American Historical Society of Delaware, and vice chair of both the Delaware Heritage Commission and the Delaware Review Board for Historic Preservation. She has been a longtime member of Whatcoat United Methodist Church in Dover.
As a lifelong active member of the DSU community, Dr. Hollingsworth is a life member and has served as a Parliamentarian of the DSU Alumni Association and as a member of the Dr. Jerome Holland Statue Committee and the DSU 130th Anniversary Steering Committee. She and her husband established an endowed scholarship through the Delaware State University Foundation, Inc., in 2014.
Over the years, Dr. Hollingsworth has been a frequently invited speaker at DSU, church, and civic events. She is the recipient of many honors and awards, including the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Regional Eastern Diamond Award, the African American Distinction Award, the 1971-72 Delaware Counselor of the Year Award, the 2006 NAACP Unsung Heroes Award, the 2006 Delaware State Education Association Human & Civil Rights Award, the 2009 Shofar Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2019 Inner City Cultural League’s Phenomenal Women Award.
Dr. Hollingsworth was inducted into the DSU Alumni Association Hall of Fame in 2006, was recognized as the 2021 MEAC Distinguished Alumni of Delaware State University, was presented with the 2022 DSU Alumni Association’s Theatre of the Arts Award for her dedicated community service, and was inducted in 2018 into the Delaware Woman’s Hall of Fame.
In 2024, then-Delaware Gov. John Carney presented Dr. Hollingsworth with the Order of the First State in recognition of her outstanding accomplishments and service to Delaware. Over the course of her life, Dr. Hollingsworth received many other honors, awards and recognitions that are too numerous to be listed here, yet all reflective of her never-ending commitment to professionalism and community service.
Earlier this year, DSU oldest living graduate Susan Young Brown celebrated her 108th birthday and was honored with an big event at Whatcoat United Methodist Church in Dover, where she is a long time member.