Punctuation

Q. Are periods always used with the initials of a person’s name? This is for use not with running text, but rather on a memorial on a university campus. And the donor sees no value in the use of periods.

A. The donor is usually right. Chicago style does require periods after name initials, but display type is not bound by such rules.

[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]