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David Douglas Buck died in his sleep at Saint John’s on the Lake in Milwaukee on March 6, 2026. He was 89 years old. Born in Denver, Colorado, on New Year’s Eve, 1936, David was the son of Douglas Herrick Buck and Mildred "Mims" Sanche Buck. After graduating from Littleton High School, he attended Stanford University on a scholarship, gaining a lifelong interest in Asian languages, cultures and history. After earning his master’s degree in Chinese history from Harvard University, he served in the U.S. Navy as an officer aboard a ship in the Pacific and stationed in Okinawa, Japan. In Okinawa, he met his future wife, Diane Ratty, who was teaching grade school there with the American Dependents Schools. After his military service, he returned to Stanford, where he earned his Ph.D., specializing in modern Chinese history. He then spent his 32-year academic career as a professor of history at UW-Milwaukee, with stints abroad teaching at universities in Taiwan, China, Japan and England. In addition to earning scholarly awards and chairing UWM’s history department for nine years, he also served as the editor of the Journal of Asian Studies, the flagship publication of the Association for Asian Studies, from 1990-1995.As a scholar with diverse interests, David published on a variety of topics in Asian history and culture, including a book about urban change in China. The breadth of his knowledge also served him well in his role leading more than 20 trips to China for American travelers. In the ’70s and ’80s, he led tours for groups organized by the Milwaukee Public Museum and the Smithsonian Institute. After China’s market reforms in the ’90s, he led groups of business leaders on lively tours to places of cultural and commercial interest that were off the (by then) more beaten path.With his quick wit and keen eye for human foibles (including his own), David was always ready to engage friends, family and colleagues in conversations about travel, biking and music. A devoted cyclist, he took his family on memorable bike trips in Europe. He and Diane also intrepidly traveled to many remote places around the world, making pit stops at artists’ studios and antique markets in search of treasures to bring back home. A self-described “fiend for good music, and even some bad music,” David especially enjoyed traveling to hear operas in Chicago and other cities with Diane.After retiring from UWM in 2002, David took on a greater role in helping underserved communities in Milwaukee and Denver as president of the Buck Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization founded by his parents, Douglas and Mims Buck. Under David’s leadership until 2017, the foundation focused its efforts on revitalizing urban green spaces and supporting housing solutions for the homeless, and it continues to support a variety of life-improving initiatives.David is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Diane Buck; his sons Douglas and Andrew (Antonina); his grandchildren Jane, Charlotte and Arthur; and his sister, Carol (Nicholas) Dettmann, of Sydney, Australia. He was preceded in death by his mother and father and by his brother, Bruce.David was dedicated to supporting UWM, having enjoyed a long and fruitful career there and ending his days as a professor emeritus. In lieu of flowers please consider a gift in David's memory to the Buck Professorship in Chinese History. The UWM Foundation is accepting gifts both online, by clicking this link, uwmfoundation.org/buck, and via check mailed to the UWM Foundation, Inc, 1440 East North Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202, in memory of David Buck, designated to the David D. Buck Professorship in Chinese History.Private family services will be held.

David Douglas Buck

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