Roy C. Buck, of State College, died Friday, Oct. 2, 2009, at Brookline Village, State College. Born May 10, 1921, in Warriors Mark, he was the son of the late Isaac Leroy and Margaret Myrtle Harpster Buck.
As a boy he helped his father in his thrashing business in the Warriors Mark Valley. He was salutatorian of his 1938 graduating class at Warriors Mark High School. His favorite teacher throughout his education, Minerva Frank, still resides in Warriors Mark. He graduated from Penn State in 1938 with a B.S. degree in agricultural education and in 1947 with an M.S. degree in rural sociology. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1950 with a Ph.D. in sociology.
He served in the U.S. Army Military Police in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. He received a Bronze Star medal and achieved the rank of sergeant.
Roy was a teacher of agriculture at Greenfield Township High School, Claysburg, from 1942 to 1944. In 1949, he began his career with Penn State as an assistant professor. He remained at Penn State until his retirement in 1981 as Professor Emeritus of sociology. He received a Rockefeller Grant to study the effects of tourism on the Amish of Lancaster County in 1978. This research resulted in a number of widely-cited papers.
Buck was a recipient of the McKay – Donkin Award at Penn State in 1980 for his active participation in university governance affairs. He served as president of the American Country Life Association, Pennsylvania Sociological Society and Agricultural College Magazines Association. He was a member of a number of honorary societies including Alpha Tau Alpha, Phi Kappa Delta and Phi Kappa Phi. He was a well-known collector of antiques. He was recognized as "Doc" in the antique collecting community.
During his retirement, he enjoyed rock gardening, creating a much-admired garden at his former home off Puddintown Road in Lemont. He also enjoyed drawing illuminated manuscripts in the Pennsylvania German style, often depicting current events.
Roy attended the Warriors Mark United Methodist Church. He was a member of St. Paul's Methodist Church in State College, where in the past he was a lay leader and taught the men's brotherhood class. In addition to his parents, his only sibling, Helen B. Campbell, preceded him in death. . . His many friends considered themselves fortunate to have known him. They will fondly remember Roy's stories, jokes and thought-provoking observations about cultural conditions.
A private graveside service will be held at the Burket Cemetery, Warriors Mark.
Memorial contributions may be made to the "Roy C. Buck Scholarship Fund" or the "Roy C. Buck Faculty Award" for the best referred publication by a non-tenured faculty member c/o of the College of Liberal Arts, College of Agriculture or College of Arts and Architecture, Pennsylvania State University, 1 Old Main, University Park, PA 16802. Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College.