It’s a familiar scene on campus: a student walking between classes pauses at a bench, pulls out a notebook and starts studying. Quiet moments on a big campus are cherished by Terps, who seek out alcoves in libraries and sunny patches of grass.
The next time a student veers off the busy path to study in the Memorial Chapel Garden, Lieutenant Colonel Brooks Tucker ’87 hopes they will take a moment to read the plaque by the bench, nestled among the greenery and historic brick backdrop.
It honors Captain William P. Delaney ’86, a member of the United States Marine Corps who perished in 1993 during military flight operations. He flew 34 strike missions in the Persian Gulf War and received the Air Medal for exceptional performance in combat.
“You can be anyone to happen upon the garden and sit on that bench and maybe read the plaques and learn a little bit about him,” Tucker explains. “You're never going to know him personally, but you’ll know of what he did and why it was important.”
Tucker, whose gift established the named bench in May 2025, met Delaney through a group of officer candidates attending UMD in 1984. That connection made the Maryland community feel a little smaller and more personal.
“Maryland's a big place, and you can get lost there in the volume of people,” he recalls.
Though their paths diverged after graduation—Delaney entering the Aviation Pilot program and Tucker the Ground Officer program—Tucker later heard the news of Delaney’s passing and never forgot their connection.
“I just wanted to make sure that people remembered him and his service and the fact that there are a lot of unsung, unheralded people who graduate from Maryland and go on to do important things,” Tucker says. “In this case, they've put their lives on the line.”
Now, Delaney’s story is proudly displayed on campus as a reminder of his service and of the Military community’s connection to Maryland.
“That's, at least, a legacy for him beyond his years,” Tucker says.
Captain William P. Delaney ’86
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