A new leadership fund at Frostburg State University received a significant boost Thursday, Sept. 23, with the donation of nearly $75,000. The Delaney Leadership Awards is named in honor of the late Dr. Harold Delaney, who served as interim president at FSU in 1991, and his wife, Geraldine, who died tragically in 1994.
The announcement was made at a luncheon honoring the first two recipients of this award.
Following the Delaneys' deaths, a fund was established through the FSU Foundation, Inc., in their memory. It had grown to $15,000 and plans were announced to create an endowed scholarship, the Dr. Harold and Geraldine Delaney Leadership Award, to be given annually to a sophomore, junior and senior with demonstrated leadership abilities.
A separate program administered by the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region in Washington, D.C., was awarding "Delaney Memorial Scholarships" and discussions were initiated to consolidate resources. The success of the FSU leadership program led to a decision to move the funds to the FSU Foundation.
"We are very pleased with the decision of the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region to join with our efforts to support students. The Dr. Harold and Geraldine Delaney Leadership Award provides name recognition and perpetual support for the student leadership program," said FSUF Executive Director Jack Aylor.
"Dr. Delaney had a distinguished career in higher education and fostered many leaders along the way. This is a very fitting tribute to the memory of Harold and Geraldine Delaney," Aylor said.
The two students named as the first scholarship recipients are FSU juniors Pamela Bonds and Candace Willard. Bonds, of West River, Md., is a political science major and a leadership studies minor, a member of the Honors Program, Student Government Association, a former participant in the GOLD program for freshmen and a volunteer for Special Olympics and the American Diabetes Association. Willard, of Pikesville, Md., is a mass communication major and a leadership studies minor, active in the Black Student Alliance, a participant in the Sloop Leadership Retreat and the Student Support Services program, and a volunteer at the Augsburg Lutheran Nursing Home near her home.
"Leaders, in all probability, don't have all the answers, but they have the will and the skill to find answers," said Doyle Delaney, the Delaneys' son. "It is my hope that this program will provide these students with the will and the skill to find those answers."
Harold Delaney was a nationally recognized scientist, educator and administrator. He held one of the first doctorates awarded by Howard University. He had served as professor or administrator for a wide range of colleges, universities and supporting associations through his five decades in academia. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters from FSU in 1991. His wife, Geraldine, was a special education teacher and steadfast supporter of her husband's career and accomplishments.
In 1995, FSU dedicated the area outside the Lane University Center surrounding the clock tower in the Delaneys' honor.
For more information on the Delaney Leadership Awards, call the FSU Foundation at (301) 687-4161.
