William Clifton (Bill) Buck

William Clifton (Bill) Buck of Villanova, Pennsylvania, and Vero Beach, Florida, died on March 29, 2023. He was born September 28, 1928, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and lived to be 94 years old. He was the middle of three sons born to J. Mahlon Buck and Grace Knapp Buck of Bryn Mawr. He was predeceased by his older brother, Jim, and younger brother, Whip. He grew up in Wynnewood and Bryn Mawr, and he and his wife, Laura, raised their own family in Villanova. Bill will be remembered for his smile and fun-loving sense of adventure, his sincere interest in everyone he met, his generosity, his active lifestyle, and his positive attitude. He absolutely loved his family and his friends, and they adored him.

Bill attended Haverford School, graduating in 1946. At Haverford, he played baseball, sang, and was captain of the squash team. He also enjoyed playing clarinet in the Buck Family Band, where he joined his musical parents and brothers in entertaining neighbors and friends, all on the custom-made bandstand that stood in the basement of their home. In addition, Bill cherished his seven summers at Camp Caribou in Maine, where he looked forward to each season's month-long, 250-mile camping and paddling trip down the Allagash River. His love and appreciation for the outdoors was born there.

Bill continued his education at Lafayette College, where he majored in Economics and graduated in 1950. He was a proud member of Zeta Psi Fraternity and was even better known around campus for his standout musical talents, including drumming and playing the saxophone into the early hours of the morning at the Zete house. His love for Lafayette College and his association with Zeta Psi remained integral parts of his life. In 1988, Bill received Zeta Psi's highest award, the Distinguished Service Award.

With the outbreak of the Korean War soon after his college graduation, Bill enlisted in the military as a member of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, where he was trained to drive and service all types of vehicles, ranging from jeeps to half-ton trucks to battle tanks. In 1951, his unit was sent to Germany, where they served until mid-1952.

Upon returning from the service in Germany, Bill began his career in the wholesale drug distribution business with Smith Kline and French. The company, later known as GlaxoSmithKline (now GSK), was founded by his ancestors in 1830. In 1965, Bill and his brothers bought the wholesale division of Smith Kline and renamed it The Drug House. The Buck brothers helped to grow the business until they sold it to Alco Standard in 1977. Following that sale, Bill and his brothers founded TDH, a venture capital firm headquartered in the Philadelphia area. TDH was an early investor in companies including Airgas, ESPN, Intelligent Electronics, and Staples, and Bill served as the firm's Executive Vice President.

In 1954 Bill's life changed forever when he married the love of his life, Laura Thomas, and during their 68 years of marriage, they were an inseparable and dynamic pair. They loved traveling together, entertaining, playing tennis, and dancing at any and all events. Working together as a team, they gave their time and resources, hosting countless events for the causes closest to their hearts, positively impacting many lives and organizations. Bill was incredibly proud of his three daughters and loved nothing more than watching them raise their own families, who knew and adored him as "Poppy."

Bill's passion for baseball started in his childhood, when he often attended double headers with his father and brothers on Sundays. In 1981, he and his brothers became partners in the Philadelphia Phillies. He never forgot the thrill of riding with the team through the streets of Philadelphia in 2008 after the Phillies won the World Series, but he was equally dedicated when the score did not work out; if there was a TV nearby, he would find a way to watch the game. He was particularly excited to see the team in the World Series this past season.

Bill remained active, playing golf (including two holes-in-one) and tennis, skiing in New Hampshire, Beaver Creek, and Europe, boating, and fly fishing (wherever and whenever he could). Bill's love of skiing kept him on the slopes with family and friends well into his eighties. At John's Island, he could be seen riding his bike daily into his nineties. Bill also enjoyed his time singing for twenty years with the Suburban Squires, an all-male a cappella group that performed throughout the Philadelphia area.

Throughout his life, Bill served on numerous boards and gave his time generously to many causes, especially those in the Philadelphia and Vero Beach communities. Reflecting the breadth of his interests, he supported organizations including Bryn Mawr Trust, the Philadelphia Zoo (where he received its highest honor, the Camac Award), and Legacy Youth Tennis and Education, where he was instrumental in its creation and was recognized with the Arthur Ashe Award in 1993. Bill was also a dedicated supporter of Agnes Irwin School, Haverford School, Lafayette College, US Ski Team, Vero Beach Museum of Art, and Riverside Theater. Given his passion for the outdoors and conservation, Bill was particularly committed to Indian River Land Trust, especially in recent years.

Bill is survived by his loving wife, Laura Thomas Buck, and by his three daughters, Laurie Marshall (Sam), Libby King (Charlie), and Sarah Schmader (John). He also leaves seven grown grandchildren: Buck Marshall, Bailey Pritikin (Jordan), Jennifer Mittnacht (Arthur), Hope King, Lila King, Bill Schmader, and Molly Schmader, and his first great-grandchild, Arthur "Bear" Mittnacht.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, May 10 at 3 p.m. at St. David's Episcopal Church, 763 South Valley Forge Road, Wayne, PA.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to Philadelphia Zoo, 3400 West Gerard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104, and Indian River Land Trust, 80 Royal Palm Point Suite 301, Vero Beach, Florida 32963.