Baylor Libraries Mourn the Passing of Benefactor Dottie S. Riley
Baylor Libraries benefactor Dottie S. Riley passed away on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. Along with her husband, Harold E. Riley, she was a generous supporter of the Baylor Libraries, helping create spaces and resources that continue to expand access to collections, strengthen learning, and support the work of students and scholars.
The Rileys’ support helped establish the Ray I. Riley Digitization Center, which extends access to collections from across the Baylor Libraries for a global audience. The Center also makes digitized learning resources available to Baylor students with learning accommodations.
The Digitization Center is also home to the world-renowned Black Gospel Music Preservation Program and the Black Gospel Archive, whose international impact continues to grow.
The Dottie S. Riley Conference Room, created as a surprise and unveiled during the dedication of the Digitization Center, serves Baylor faculty, staff, and students as a collaborative meeting space.
The Riley Reading and Digital Presentation Room provides a space for individual students and classes to engage with resources from the Arts and Special Collections Research Center, and to develop as musicians through the twelve available music workstations.
The Dottie S. Riley Endowed Library Fund provides for equipment, hardware, software, accessories, and minor construction projects to support the digitization work of the Digitization Center.
Beyond her involvement at Baylor, Riley served food banks in her community, her church, her neighbors, and underprivileged children around the world. As noted in her obituary, one of her proudest accomplishments was collaborating with Heart Gift and Samaritan's Purse to bring children with life-threatening heart defects out of third-world nations into Austin for life-saving surgeries and medical care.
Dottie was a proud member of Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin and was part of the “Joy Group” that selflessly enhanced numerous aspects of the church and its school.
“We appreciate the support that Dottie S. Riley and the Riley family have provided to the Baylor Libraries for many years,” said Jeffry Archer, Dean of Libraries, Museums, and the Press. “The Riley Digitization Center, Dottie S. Riley Conference Room, and her endowment will stand as ongoing memorials of their dedication to Baylor and their service to many others.”