Delta State honors longtime math professor and Cleveland civic leader

Delta State University lowered its flag to half-staff for Burrow P. “Bucky” Brooks Jr., a gesture that reflected how deeply the longtime mathematics professor shaped the campus and the Cleveland community he served for more than three decades. Brooks died peacefully at home on May 2, two days before his 83rd birthday, and the university continued to highlight his legacy in alumni and news channels after the tribute.

Brooks taught mathematics at Delta State from 1970 until his retirement in 2001, giving the university 31 years of classroom work and institutional service. He served two terms as chair of the Faculty Senate, the university’s shared-governance forum, placing him at the center of campus decision-making during a long period of change. Delta State also recognized him with its Outstanding Faculty Member award in 1994, and he chaired the Friends of the Delta State University Library, extending his influence beyond the math department and into the life of the library and the wider academic community.

His public life reached well beyond the Delta State campus. Brooks served on the Friends of the Bolivar County Library System Board and was president twice, and he stayed involved with Friends of Dahomey and Friends of Acadia, ties that connected him to reading, conservation and civic work across the Mississippi Delta. Born in Starkville on May 4, 1943, to Burrow P. Brooks Sr. and Mary Hutton, he earned his bachelor’s degree at Mississippi State University, a master’s degree at Western Reserve University and a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Florida.

Brooks married Maureen Webb in Cleveland on Aug. 8, 1975, and their wedding ended with a tandem bicycle decorated with balloons. The couple later bicycled from the Pacific to the Atlantic in the summer of 1976 to mark the bicentennial, a detail that matches the spirit of public service and curiosity that marked his life. Survivors include Maureen Brooks, his sister, Mildred Vittoria, and several nieces and nephews.

Visitation was set for 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, May 16, at Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church, 215 Bishop Road in Cleveland, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial from 11 a.m. to noon, celebrated by Fr. Kent Bowlds. Memorial gifts were directed to the Maureen and Burrow Brooks Endowment Scholarship for Seniors at the Delta State University Foundation, with Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church also listed as a donation option.