Year Honored: 1998

Biography

Renee G. O’Leary taught kindergarten in public and private schools for more than 40 years, and in doing so touched the lives of some of the most impoverished and at-risk students in the state. O’Leary specialized in math and science.

As the first women president of the Brandywine Motorsports Club, O’Leary was one of the most highly ranked women in rally driving in the U.S. O’Leary also began the Braille Rally in 1978, an event that benefitted the blind community of Delaware. For her efforts, she received the Governor’s Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2000. She has also been Teacher of the Year (1982); inducted into the National Teacher’s Hall of Fame (1994); received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching (1991); received the Superstar! in Education Award by the Delaware Chamber of Commerce (1992); and in 1993, was ranked among the top 20 science teachers in the nation.

O’Leary has also been a volunteer for Kingswood United Methodist Church, the Chapel Street Players, and The Brandywiners, where she served as President in 1999.
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Sources and Additional Readings

Delaware Commission for Women. (2006). Twenty-Fifth Anniversary: Hall of Fame of Delaware Women: The Legacy Endures.