Dorothy Rainer Sellars, daughter of Robert S. “Sam” and Mattie Lea Rainer, was born February 8, 1926, in Opp, AL. Her sisters are Alice and Clarice Rainer, concert piano-duettists and now piano teachers in Opp. Dorothy was Valedictorian of the 1944 class at Opp High School. She was president of the Opp Beta Club and the Covington County Beta Club, a member of the Debate Team and the Drama Club, a writer for the school paper and art editor for the annual. She was also a cheerleader and “Miss Opp High.” In her spare time, she served as organist for the First Methodist Church.
After high school she spent one year in New York City studying dance with private teachers and studying speech at Columbia University. Dorothy graduated from Huntingdon College in 1948 “with distinction”. At Huntingdon she was editor of the campus literary magazine, a member of the literary honorary society, honorary dramatic fraternity, and Tri Sigma (for scholarship, spirit and service) and was voted “Most Versatile” and “Most Artistic”. Her Bachelor of Arts degree is in history with an English minor. Following graduation from Huntingdon she attended graduate school at the University of Alabama. Dorothy taught history and English at Florala High School for two years and in 1953 opened the Sellars School of Dance. The school was in Florala for 21 years and moved to Opp in 1975. The School of Dance received national recognition in 1967, when DANCE MAGAZINE spotlighted Dorothy Sellars in a feature article entitled, “Small Town Teacher”. From November 1967 until November 1969, she authored 23 articles for Dance Magazine. She is the author of a book, The Dance Teacher Today and another article for Alabama Arts in November 1979, titled “One More Time”.
In 1950 Dorothy and William A. “Doc” Sellars were married. Doc retired as Chief of Hospital Pharmacy, USAF Regional Hospital, Eglin Air Force Base, (1950-1987). They have two sons. Bill is a 1978 graduate of Davidson College and resides in Winston Salem, N.C., with his wife and three-year-old daughter. Bill is manager of Marriott Food Services at Medical Park Hospital. Lee attended Wake Forest University and graduated from Drama Studio London in 1989. Lee is currently performing with the hit TV series ER.
The Dorothy Sellars School of Dance is in its forty-second season and enrollment includes 129 students from a 30-mile radius of Opp. Her students today will quickly tell you there has been no diminution of her high standards. She instructs her students in ballet, tap, acrobatics and character dance. They learn not only to dance, but about dance. Gleaned from letters from former students and parents are such comments as these: “She instills values in her students and acts as an example for conducting oneself in the utmost professional manner.” “She encourages her students to excel in all their endeavors”. “She helps to produce fine citizens for the world”. She directs study tours in New York City so that students can take classes in ballet and tap and learn about art appreciation and American history. She continues to spend her summers studying in New York City, attending workshops directed by Professional Dance Teachers Association, plus classes in Arts Appreciation and Creative Writing at New York University.
Mrs. Sellars has given freely of her time and talents in many ways. She served on the Alabama State Council on Arts for ten years and was Vice Chairman for three years. She has served as president of the Huntingdon College National Alumni Board and currently serves as the alumni representative on the Huntingdon Board of Trustees. For her exemplary leadership she has received the two highest awards Huntingdon gives: the Loyalty Award in 1977 and the Achievement Award in 1985. Dorothy’s life exemplifies Huntingdon’s motto: “Enter to grow in wisdom, go forth to apply wisdom in service.
Dorothy is a member and a participant in a wide range of professional, civic and art-related associations. Her honors extend to the regional and national level. She demonstrates an amazing assortment of innate aptitudes for academics, for dance, for writing, for art, for music. One of her classmates describes her as the very epitome of leadership. Her life speaks of the propensity for activity rather than passivity. By every test of personal standing, civic mindedness and professional integrity Dorothy Sellars excels. She genuinely strives to make a difference in her students’ lives so that they can make a difference in other lives. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995.
