Our Rotary family recently lost a dear friend and longtime member, Tom Buck. A charter member and past president, Tom helped shape the Rotary Club of Centennial and touched many lives through his friendship, service, and commitment to Rotary.
We are honored to share these remembrances from Tom’s fellow Rotarians and friends, Marc Garfinkel and John Peterson.
We will miss you, Tom.
The Rotary Club of Centennial mourns the loss of our dear friend and fellow Rotarian, Tom Buck. Tom was one of the original 19 charter members who helped establish our club in 2001, coming to us from the Aurora Gateway Rotary Club. He served as our fourth president in 2005–2006, but his contribution to our club went far beyond the year he wore the president’s pin. Tom was the kind of Rotarian who understood that Rotary was as much about friendship and fellowship as it was about service to the community.
During Tom’s presidency, our club donated a bookcase to the Smoky Hill Library, and it was also during his year that the club began the State of Our City event. That event has gone on to become our most successful fundraiser and one of our most important community-service projects. It is a lasting part of Tom’s Rotary legacy and a wonderful example of how one person’s commitment can continue to benefit a community for many years.
Tom helped build the Rotary Club of Centennial from its very beginning, and his fingerprints can still be found throughout the club he helped create. More importantly, he leaves behind many Rotarian friends who were fortunate to know him, work alongside him, share a laugh with him, and call him a friend. Tom left an indelible mark on our club, and we will miss him dearly. We are grateful for the years we had with him, and for the lasting legacy he leaves with the Rotary Club of Centennial.
Marc Garfinkel
