The Veterans Memorial was dedicated on October 31, 1987 to remind the St. Bonaventure community of the sacrifices made by the many alumni who have served in the military services.  It replaced the earlier WWII memorial, listing veterans from that war as well as Korea and Vietnam.

Fr. Mathias Doyle, OFM, president of
the University, blessing the new memorial, Oct. 31, 1987

The dedication speaker was Maj. Gen. John Henderson Mitchell, a 1956 graduate of SBU.  He was commanding general of the United States forces in West Berlin at the time. Speaking of the veterans he said, "We can't take these people for granted.  It is the fabric of our nation that makes our life worth living.  The military of our alma mater swore to die before we lost our freedoms in the Constitution.

Funding for the Memorial was provided by St. Bonaventure ROTC graduates' donations, the National Alumni Board and the University. The Memorial originally stood between Devereux Hall and the Post Office, the latter on the site of the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.  

In 2000, because of the addition of the Donald F. Kenney Museum and Art Study Wing to the Quick Center, the Memorial was moved to its present location near the west entrance of the Reilly Center.