James "Jim" F. Buck was born in Huron, SD, son of the late Cecil J. Buck and Ethel Showacy Buck Burnside on September 5, 1933. He attended schools in Huron and earned a Metallurgical Engineering degree at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, SD. He worked 34 years for E. I. Dupont de Nemours in Orange, TX and Parkersburg, WV and retired in 1990. Jim was a "Read Aloud West Virginia" volunteer at local elementary schools, entertaining students with his humorous and energetic readings. He attended the First United Presbyterian Church and Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Buck was a friend of the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation for many years. After his passing on June 11, 2017 following a long battle with cancer, his wife of 57 years, D. Jane Buck, and their two sons, Duane B. Buck and Gary T. Buck, created the James F. Buck Memorial Fund with the Foundation. This permanent support fund will provide grant funding to support our communities broad charitable needs with specific attention to supporting basic human needs, such as medical, food insecurity, housing, and emergency services.