Floyd W. Wilson ’43

Buck died Oct. 29, 2022. He was 99.

Buck grew up in Kingston, N.J., and prepped at Princeton High School, where he played in the band and engaged in student government. At Princeton, he majored in chemical engineering.

During World War II, Buck was aboard an escort carrier as a lieutenant, junior grade.

In 1944, he married Shirley Emily Heitz. They had two children, Linda Elizabeth (1955) and Robert Ross (1957). Shirley died in 1996.

Before the kids, Buck earned a master’s degree at Brooklyn Polytechnic in 1951. That degree led to a job with Thiokol Corp. In the 25th-reunion yearbook Buck wrote, “I’ve been fortunate to have been in on the birth of a new industry at Thiokol. I’ve contributed and now lead this group. Personal satisfactions and friendships in this close-knit group and industry are very high. I want to see it and help it reach its full potential.” Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology discovered that Thiokol’s polymers made ideal binders for solid rocket fuels. Buck is responsible for several patents for Thiokol.

Again, Buck’s words from the 25th-reunion yearbook: “I have few regrets. I have trained, assisted, delegated, and thus helped create other fine managers and leaders. I’m happiest teaching others. My wife and children are great, and therefore I am a happy man.”