Delores Ward Napier Leslie

Delores Ward Napier Leslie, 94, better known as Del to her many friends, passed away Wednesday, July 28, 2021 after a brief illness. There will be a visitation to celebrate her life on Friday, July 30, 2021 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM in the Great Hall of Christ Church, 582 Walnut Street Macon, Georgia. Funeral Services will be at 9:00 AM on Saturday, July 31, 2021 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 753 College Street Macon, Georgia. Burial will be private in Rose Hill Cemetery.

As a precocious little girl growing up in Macon, Georgia, during the 1930’s, Del was already following her love of acting. Born as the only child of Ruben Hubert Ward (from whom she inherited her trademark red hair) and Willie Mae Meadows, Del’s first performance was in the second grade at Whittle Grammar School where she starred as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel. Who would have ever imagined her role would blossom into a broadcast career bringing her many honors and awards as she became a daily part of the lives of tens of thousands of middle Georgians as the host of “Date with Del” on WMAZ.

Del’s parents encouraged her acting pursuits. She studied ballet in grammar school, and also was schooled in expression by Dorothy Kuhr Small. She first performed in the Macon Little Theater production of Football Rhythm in 1935. She played “Cathy” in June of 1936, and Spreadin’ Rhythm Around with the Macon Juvenile Players review in September of 1936. She also entertained ladies' groups at teas and luncheons with her tap dancing and poetry readings.

A Macon connection who recognized her potential recommended her to the Feagin School of Dramatic Art in New York City. Only ten, Del and her mother traveled there, marking the first time she and her mother had ever left the state of Georgia. They stayed at the Hotel Willard and Del attended daily dramatic classes with eight or ten other girls. At the end of the term, Del and her fellow students staged a production of Little Women in which Del was cast as “Amy.”

At Miller High School in Macon, Del was elected president of the dramatic club and became more active in the Macon Little Theater, appearing in Night Must Fall. Junior Miss, and Antique Corn.

Appearing in Junior Miss gave Del her first paid professional role as an actress. A Broadway production company touring Georgia was set to open in Valdosta when the female lead became ill. The producers—through good contacts—learned Del had recently played the role in Macon and contacted her parents. That evening Del and her parents were whisked south, arriving in Valdosta around 7:00 P.M. Del took the stage at 8:00 and by 1:00 A.M. she and her parents were home again in Macon. The producers asked her to join the touring company but she declined, desiring to return to school instead.

After high school, Del was accepted at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. There she studied Speech under Fred Kotch and pledged Delta Zeta sorority. During the summer she returned to Macon and took courses at Mercer University and Brenau College in Gainesville, where she completed her undergraduate degree.

Trained to be a teacher, Del’s career was about to take an incredible turn. She was hired by WNEX, a radio station in Macon, to host a morning radio chat program, “Across the Breakfast Table,” which later became “Date with Del.” Al Lowe, the station manager, was so impressed with Del’s ability that he gave her the summer off to travel back to New York. There she took classes at Columbia University to learn about that new medium…something called television. She came back home to Macon, enthusiastic about broadcasting and knowledgeable about a medium Macon had never seen.

In 1949 Del was invited to a dance at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana, by a young man she met while he was stationed at Macon’s Camp Wheeler. She also interviewed with two radio stations in South Bend and was hired by WHOT. She moved into the YWCA and began work as receptionist and on-air personality.

Soon her career took another meteoric leap when she was hired to work at WGN radio in Chicago. There she made history as the very first female disc jockey in America to host an all-night record show. Her sultry Southern voice was heard all over the country due to the fifty thousand watt clear channel transmitter at the station. Her broadcast could be picked up in Macon and Del remembered one night getting a call from her mother who remarked that Del sounded as if she had the flu and needed to get some rest. Del also worked at WGN-TV when it was created and wrote articles on country music for Downbeat Magazine (since she was from the South, everyone just assumed she knew all there was to know about country music).

She left Chicago for the bigger New York market where she continued to appear on radio, worked for Trans-America films and at the DuMont television network. She appeared in “The Plainclothesman,” a detective series, did radio voice-over work and became familiar to movie-goers around the country as the voice-over for newsreels.

Between jobs during the bitter New York winter of 1954, she returned to Macon and soon caught the eye of Hendley Napier, one of the city’s most eligible bachelors. Their first date was to a New Year’s Eve dance at the Moose Club and a year later they mailed their wedding invitations.

Del went to work for WMAZ in 1957, capitalizing on her television broadcast knowledge as the new medium came to Macon. There she hosted “Date with Del,” a daily live program that reflected the positive side of life in Macon and middle Georgia. Soon her red hair and southern manner made her a familiar member of many middle Georgia television families. She balanced her busy career with her responsibilities to Hendley and their only daughter, Hannah Lee, for nearly forty years, retiring from full-time work at WMAZ after Hendley’s death in 1997.

Del returned to television later that year, producing and hosting a monthly video segment on WMAZ called “Personal Profiles” which showcased her talents to bring her devoted viewers segments about interesting people in the middle Georgia area. She also was a frequent contributor to the “Greatest Memories” podcast produced by her close friend, Ben Sandifer. She remained active in Christ Church Episcopal and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, the Macon Little Theater; was a member of the Macon Writers Club, the Macon History Club, the Macon Book club, the Historic Macon Foundation, Inc., and Idle Hour Golf and Country Club. Del also found time to hone her skills as an excellent bridge player building lasting friendships with the members of her bridge club.

In 1998, Del was introduced by the Rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church to Keith Leslie, a retired United State Air Force Colonel and pilot. Del and Keith were married in October of that same year. They remained happily married until Keith’s death in 2017.

Del will always be much loved by many, but especially by her daughter Hannah Warren (Virgil); her grandchildren, Hendley Holleman and Mary Del Crabb (Alex); her great grandchildren, Harper and Ellie Crabb, her step-children, Elizabeth Leslie Poulsen, Holly Ann Leslie and Steven Clay Leslie, by the residents and staff of the Pinegate Retirement Community and her devoted friend and companion, Jim Sanders.

In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 753 College Street Macon, Georgia 31201.

Trody Tro.

Visit www.snowsmacon.com to express tributes.

Snow’s Memorial Chapel, Cherry Street, has charge of arrangements.