Dale Conner Ulrey was the assistant of Martha Orr on the famous Depression strip 'Apple Mary'. The name of this comic changed to 'Mary Worth's Family' when Conner took over the strip in 1938, signing it simply "Dale". Allen Saunders was recruited as writer for the series, and the strip was signed "Dale Allen." Eventually Dale Conner left the comic, not content with the direction Saunders was taking it. The art on 'Mary Worth' was then taken over by Ken Ernst, and the strip still runs today. Dale Ulrey has also drawn the newspaper comics 'Ayer Lane' and 'Hugh Striver' in the 1940s. 'Hugh Striver' was written by Herb Ulrey, presumably her husband. In later years, she was active as a book illustrator, most notably for Reilly & Lee's 1956 edition of 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'.