Passion for music spurs bequest to music groups

J. Mahlon Buck Jr. ’46, an owner of the Philadelphia Phillies who had a lifelong interest in music, has given the University an endowment to support the Glee Club and University Orchestra. Buck died in 2011.

The University described the gift as a “generous bequest” but did not disclose the amount.

The endowment will fund domestic and international tours, production costs for performances, and an expansion of their library of scores. It also will provide support for the Sinfonia orchestra and the Chamber Choir.

“Dad loved all things Princetonian, but he was never happier and more connected to his alma mater than when he played music and sang with his close friends, many of whom he came to know as an undergraduate,” said his son, Jim Buck ’81. “He credits the University with fueling his lifelong interest in music.”

J. Mahlon “Jim” Buck ’46, second from right, sang with fellow Nassoons, from left, Don Finnie ’47, Ed Knetzger ’46, and Al Burr ’49 at the 1948 Class Day ceremony.

PHOTO: PRINCETON UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

Gabriel Crouch, a senior lecturer in music who oversees the Glee Club, said the donation would allow the club “to bring in more collaborative artists and commission a body of new choral music for the first time.” Most importantly, students no longer will have to pay their own way to go on the club’s international tours, which occur every two years, he said.

Buck, who helped build pharmaceutical-distribution businesses, lived in Haverford, Pa. As a student, he was a member of the Glee Club, Nassoons, and Triangle Club.