William Daley was born in New York on March 7th, 1925. His father, a house painter and avid lover of poetry and the arts, fostered William's creative appetite. After surviving prison camp during World War II, Daley went on to attend The Massachusetts College of Art in Boston where, under the G.I. Bill, he received his Bachelors Degree in 1950. After graduation, William married his college classmate, Catherine Stennes. They relocated to New York where Daley completed his Graduate Degree from Columbia University Teachers College in 1952.
Daley went on to teach ceramics at state colleges in Iowa and later New York but spent the vast majority of his educational career - nearly forty years - in the Industrial Design Department, and later in the Crafts Department at Philadelphia College of Art (now The University of the Arts) in Philadelphia. William has been given numerous awards and accolades for his career as an educator and ceramic artist: Honorary doctorates from both The Maine College of Art and University of the Arts, Awards from the College Art Association, American Craft Council, The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, Northern Clay Center & Watershed.
William Daley died on January 16th, 2022 in Elkins Park Pennsylvania. The Daley Estate generously donated William’s impressive collection of books, exhibition catalogs, pamphlets, and other documents to The Clay Studio after his death. His archival and library collection, presented before you now, is intended to be enjoyed by all to continue fostering Daley’s commitment to arts and education.
