Burrow Brooks

Burrow P. (Bucky) Brooks, Jr., Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Delta State University, died peacefully at home on May 2, 2026, two days before his eighty-third birthday. Bucky was born on May 4, 1943, in Starkville, Mississippi, to Burrow P. Brooks, Sr., and Mary Hutton. He married Maureen Webb on August 8, 1975, in Cleveland; they drove away from their wedding on a tandem bicycle decorated with balloons. In the summer of 1976, to celebrate the bicentennial, Bucky and Maureen bicycled across the United States from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

Bucky received his bachelor’s degree at Mississippi State University, his master’s at Western Reserve University, and his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Florida. He taught mathematics at Delta State from 1970 to 2001. While at Delta State he was Chair of the Faculty Senate for two terms; he was named Delta State Outstanding Faculty Member in 1994. He also served as Chair of the Friends of the Delta State University Library.

Bucky was an avid bridge player (serving for some years as Director of the Cleveland Duplicate Bridge Club) and a lover of all games with a logical or mathematical basis. He was also a committed volunteer for organizations related to his other great loves, books and the natural world. He served on the Friends of the Bolivar County Library System Board (including two terms as President). He was a member of the Friends of Dahomey and served as Chair of that organization. For more than twenty years, Bucky was an active member of the Friends of Acadia (a conservation group protecting Acadia National Park), where he worked on the trails and carriage roads. In 2007 Bucky and Maureen received an Excellence in Volunteering Award for their work on the landscape as well as their hospitality and their leadership of the Friends of Acadia Imprecision Drill Team, which marches in the Bar Harbor Independence Day parade.

Burrow P. Brooks, Jr., was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Maureen, his sister, Mildred Vittoria, and his loving nephews and nieces.

Visitation will be held at Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church in Cleveland at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 16. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11:00 a.m., celebrated by Fr. Kent Bowlds.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Maureen and Burrow Brooks Endowment Scholarship for Seniors, Delta State University Foundation, DSU Box 3141, 1003 W. Sunflower Rd., Cleveland, MS 38733; Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church, 215 Bishop Road, Cleveland, MS 38732; or a charity of your choice.