James Mahlon Buck Jr.

James Mahlon Buck, Jr. was born April 27, 1925, in Bryn Mawr Pa., and died on March 16, 2011. He was the oldest of three brothers, William ("Bill") who resides in Villanova and Alexander ("Whip"), who predeceased him. He was raised in Wynnewood and later Bryn Mawr. For the past 44 years, he has lived in Haverford. Mr. Buck graduated from The Haverford School in 1942 and entered Princeton University in the class of 1946 as an ROTC candidate. He served in World War II as a member of the 92nd Division Field Artillery in the European Theatre, where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. At the conclusion of the war, he returned to Princeton to complete his degree in Economics. There Mr. Buck sang with the Nassoons, performed on tour with The Triangle Club, and was a member of Colonial Club. After college he continued his love for music performance as a co- founder of The Suburban Squires, an all male a cappella group. He served as its Music Director and chief arranger for over 25 years. Throughout his life, Mr. Buck was a fixture at the piano, encouraging all to sing along to show tunes and Christmas Carols. After graduating in 1948, Mr. Buck embarked on a career with Smith Kline & French, Inc., wholesale drug distributors, a company which was founded by his ancestors in 1830. In 1965, a year following their father's death, he and his brothers purchased the wholesale firm from its pharmaceutical parent of the same name and renamed it The Drug House, Inc. He became its Chairman. In 1977, the Buck brothers sold The Drug House to Alco Standard, and Mr. Buck joined Alco's Board of Directors. As Chairman of the newly formed Alco Health Services division, he spent the next decade forwarding the purchases of other family-owned wholesale drug firms throughout the country. This entity grew to be what is now known as Amerisource Bergen, one of the nation's largest drug distribution enterprises. At the same time and following sale of The Drug House, the Buck brothers founded TDH Capital Corporation, a venture capital holding company based in Radnor, Pa. From that time through the present, TDH has made a large impact on the regional venture capital scene, investing founding capital in such companies as ESPN, Airgas, Staples, Intelligent Electronics, and Animas to name a few. One of Jim Buck's lifelong passions was The Philadelphia Phillies baseball club, the team that he followed faithfully from his earliest years. In 1981, he and his brothers joined in the purchase of the team in a partnership led and organized by Bill Giles. From that moment until the time of his death, the Phillies were an integral part of Jim Buck's life, becoming an activity in which family and friends would join him in the rooting section from the beginning of Spring Training until the "final pitch". In 2008, his staunch commitment and loyalty were rewarded, culminating in the first Phillies World Series Championship in 30 years (and second in the history of the ball club). In addition to all of his business activities, Mr. Buck was a tireless and valued civic leader. Among the many organizations that he and his wife Elia supported and helped to lead were his two alma maters, Haverford and Princeton; The Philadelphia Orchestra (where he was an Emeritus Trustee at the time of his death); The Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church; The Bryn Mawr Hospital (as Trustee, Emeritus Trustee, and a founding Trustee of The Main Line Health System); and The Church Farm School to which he committed over 40 years of his life. To every organization he brought his clear sighted business acumen, and his quiet passion and unwavering generosity. Mr. Buck passed away in his sleep, by his wife's side where he had been every day since they married in 1953. In addition to his wife, Elia Durr Buck, he is survived by his two children, Caroline Buck Rogers and James Mahlon Buck III (his daughter Anne Garrett Buck predeceased him in 1975), their spouses Joseph Ward Rogers, Jr. and Elinor Hosterman Buck and six proud grandchildren, John Wesley Rogers, Geoffrey Ward Rogers, Anne Garrett Rogers, Elinor Angeline Buck, Charlotte Grace Buck, and Caroline Alexander Buck. Interment will be private. A memorial service was held at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church at 4 pm., on Saturday, March 19, 2011. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be made to The Philadelphia Orchestra Association, 260 S. Broad St., 16th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102.