Dorothy Worth, 80, of Decatur: Saw America through poet's eye
Poet Dorothy Williamson Worth drew her inspiration from the natural beauty of America. She and her husband, Gene, traveled to each of the nation's states, completing a trip to the 50th, Alaska, just last year.
Of the many wonders she saw, the one that seemed to affect her most was Shiprock, a nearly 1,600-foot rock formation rising out of the high desert of New Mexico's northwest corner.
Her husband said Monday that Mrs. Worth felt moved to visit Shiprock several times, the last time by way of a remote road that enabled her to touch the base of that holy mount of the Navajo people.
About it, she wrote:
Geologists explain its origin...
What they cannot tell is why it draws me...
demanding that I come...
until I stood like an errant child
before that sacred stone
and wondered why I was called.
"Shiprock" was one of a number of Mrs. Worth's poems published in a booklet titled "Desert Places," winner of the Georgia Poetry Society's Charles B. Dickson prize in 1999. She won numerous awards for poems that appeared in magazines, journals and anthologies, and a first prize in 1996 in Coca-Cola's Olympic poetry contest for her entry, "Let the Contests Begin."
Dorothy Janis Williamson Worth, 80, of Decatur, died Thursday at the Golden Living Center, Tucker, of complications of Alzheimer's disease. Her memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Oak Grove United Methodist Church, Decatur. A.S. Turner & Sons funeral home is in charge of arrangements.
Barbara Bagwell of Decatur said her sister began writing poems when she was 10. The daughter of two schoolteachers, she haunted Carrollton's public library.
Bettie Sellers of Young Harris, Georgia's poet laureate between 1997 and 2001, said she admired Mrs. Worth's poetry, especially her sonnets.
"Dorothy's poems had a strong philosophical bent," she said. "I don't recall that she ever wrote anything frivolous or esoteric."
While some writers create poetry so obscure that some critics may praise it because they're reluctant to admit they don't understand it, that wasn't Mrs. Worth's style, according to John Ottley of Alpharetta, past president of the Georgia Poetry Society. "Her poetry was lyrical but perfectly understandable," he said.
During her terms as president and board member of the Georgia Poetry Society, Mrs. Worth was a level-headed and practical leader, "not qualities one usually associates with poets," he said.
Atlanta poet Mary Stripling recalled another of Mrs. Worth's attributes: "Dorothy had a theatrical voice, smooth as honey and calming. It came in handy when she led writers' workshops for diverse people with diverse opinions."
Mrs. Worth rarely turned down responsibilities assigned to her by the several poetry groups to which she belonged. "Dorothy could speak three languages -- Spanish, French and English -- but couldn't say ‘no' in any of them," Mrs. Stripling said.
Survivors also include her son, John Worth of Pensacola, Fla., and two grandchildren.
