Arlene Barbara Delaney

1940 - 2021

Delaney, Arlene Barbara (Reed) CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Arlene Barbara (Reed) Delaney, M.D. 80 years-old, died at peace in the early morning of February 4, 2021. Her life was shaped by service and caring for others. Certainly, for her children and grandchildren, but fiercely for all those whose path she crossed. Whether as physician, friend, mentor, relative or neighbor, her actions were to help and to heal. Dr. Delaney, the first in her family to attend college, was a board-certified psychiatrist. In 10th grade, she decided to become a doctor because she loved science and wanted to help people. She was a graduate of Albany High School, The College of Saint Rose, and Howard University Medical School. As a physician, Dr. Delaney used her training in pediatrics and psychiatry to treat children and adolescents at the LaSalle School for Boys in Albany and Samaritan Shelters, Inc. in Glenmont. She also maintained a private practice, worked as a review physician for New York State, and as a supervising physician for the social security department. Dr. Delaney was the first woman and first African-American to serve on the Board of Regents in New York, District IV. She was the member of the Board of Trustees for The College of Saint Rose and the University of Notre Dame. To be near her children and grandchildren, Dr. Delaney moved to Cambridge, Mass. in 2003, where she continued to practice medicine until 2017. A dedicated advocate for social justice, who attended the March on Washington in 1963, she was active in her new community working to help the incarcerated and returning citizens. She mentored younger, female physicians in Massachusetts. She also developed the Stealth Learning Techniques to improve educational proficiency for adults and children, particularly those in underserved communities. Dr. Delaney is survived by her children, Talaya and Daniel; as well as her five grandchildren, Eve, Oisin, Cathal, Victor and Felix, to whom she dedicated a self-published collection of memoir essays in 2020. A memorial service celebrating her life will be held in September. Donations in her name may be contributed to the Union of Minority Neighborhoods, an organization dedicated to community empowerment and civic engagement. Online condolences may be offered to Dr. Delaney's family at danielkeenanfuneralhome.com