Engineering student leaves legacy of passion for learning

Family and friends remember David Buck, 21, a chemical engineering student who died July 30 after a two-year battle with rhabdomyosarcoma, as an honest and motivated person with a passion for learning and photography.    

David's father, Eugene Buck of Reston, Va., said his son was diagnosed with the soft tissue cancer in May 2008. He would attend classes at the university and then spend three to five days at Johns Hopkins Hospital every three weeks for inpatient chemotherapy treatment.

"He wanted to keep up with as much as he could," Eugene said. "He was just so motivated. He knew where he wanted to go and what he wanted to do with his life, and he was so enthusiastic about that. We have such a hole in our family now."

Eugene said David entered the university in the fall of 2007 but withdrew for spring semester of his freshman year and fall semester of sophomore year. He was able to attend classes in the spring and fall semesters of 2009.

David was a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Alpha Lambda Delta national honor society and the Student Television Network. In May 2009, he received the Donald R. McCoy Award for academic excellence in the face of challenging life circumstances.

A university scholarship recognizing excellence in intellectural curiosity in chemical engineering has been established in David's name, Eugene said..

Lori Decker Buck, David's mother, said her son was named to the Dean's List for all three semesters he completed. Knowing he could go back to the university after treatment kept his spirits up during difficult times, she said.

"The nurses at Johns Hopkins got such a kick out of this—they said they never had a student come for inpatient treatment with a huge backpack full of chemistry and physics books," Lori said. "And he actually would study the whole time."

Senior John Gardner, David's roommate since freshman year, said David was an honest person and had no reservations about discussing his illness with his close friends, he said.

"He actually treated it more like a science project, being a chemical engineer," Gardner said. "He was just really interested in everything they were doing in treatment to make it better, like how it worked and what chemicals were in it."

Gardner delivered a eulogy at David's memorial service, held Aug. 21. The dress code was strictly casual—no black suits—because David hated dressing up, so Gardner wore a polo T-shirt and jeans as he shared only happy memories and funny stories about David with those in attendance.

"He was one of the most honest friends I had—if I asked him a question, I knew he was going to tell me the truth," he said this week. "You could really just sit down with him and have a heart-to-heart. And he had a really good work ethic. He made people feel like slackers."

David's older brother, Nate Buck, of Washington, D.C., said that in addition to school and his education, David was also passionate about outdoor activities and nature photography. He did not think of his illness as an obstacle, his brother said.

"He saw the cancer as a minor detour along the way and approached it as just another inconvenience to conquer," Nate said.

Many of David's family members wanted him to take a longer break from school to focus on his health, Nate said, but David insisted on completing as many of his classes as possible.

"School was ideally where David wanted to be, as much as he could, health permitting," he said. "I think one of his main motivating factors of getting through his illness was so that he could spend as much time as he could at UD."

But living on campus was a challenge for David, he said.

"One of his semesters it was difficult for him to walk for more than a few minutes at a time, so to travel around campus he had to take multiple breaks along the way to rest," Nate said.

Senior Melanie Smith met David during their freshman year when they lived on the same floor in Thompson Hall. Smith said David juggled schoolwork and his health amazingly well, adding that his studies were not a chore but rather just second nature to him.

 "Before he was sick, he would be playing video games and watching TV all day because he would breeze through his calculus and engineering homework while the rest of us were up at all hours of the night trying to figure out assignments," Smith said.

She said he was known for his intelligence, humor and laid-back attitude among his friends.

"He was definitely a fun guy to be around, always coming up with witty jabs, puns and science references," Smith said. "David's one of those people you couldn't forget.  He was such a unique and interesting guy and he wouldn't let a dull moment go by."