Elsie Landon Buck
1922
- 2012
Elsie Landon Buck,
accomplished pianist, teacher, unflagging supporter of and leader in music
education and numerous other endeavors, made a significant difference in all
that she did. Her enthusiasm, vision, and persistence inspired and benefited
many, two examples being her work on projects related to her alma mater,
Andrews University, and her leadership as president of the International
Adventist Musicians Association (IAMA) from 1992 to 2009.
Elsie was born in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, on October 12, 1922, the older of two daughters of Archie Blake
and Ambrosina Salse Landon.
She studied piano briefly with her mother before her death when Elsie was six
and then with family members, including her aunt, Corina Salse,
and noted Brazilian composers and orchestra conductors Francisco Mignone, Camargo Guarnieri, and Frutuoso Vianna. She started her
music teaching career giving piano lessons at age seventeen while attending the
Adventist academy in that country and would continue to teach piano for over
sixty years.
Following graduation from
academy in 1939, Elsie enrolled at Southern Junior College, now Southern
Adventist University, where she studied for two years before transferring to
During those two decades they
and their three children traveled to India, after teaching for six years at
Cedar Lake Academy, where they taught at the Adventist school for six years. A
piano student from that time, Ted Mackett, now a
surgeon in
Elsie
was the one that got us on our way musically.
She was a great motivator. My mother in particular saw the opportunity
there for us and how music could be an added dimension in our lives. I was six or so and Leslie was four when we
started lessons.
Ted is still an active
musician and his brother, Leslie, a pianist, became an award-winning music teacher
at two Adventist colleges and at
That ability to motivate was
also coupled with a vision about what might be done not only in her students’
lives, but also in other projects she would be involved in for the rest of her
life. She was diligent and organized and
had a penchant for detail and the ability to mobilize others to assist in
accomplishing seemingly impossible projects.
She would become the ultimate volunteer, known for her insights, wisdom,
enthusiasm, and remarkable gifts in leadership.
The Bucks returned to the
Prior to her retirement
in1984 as an elementary music teacher in the St. Joseph Public Schools, where
she taught for twenty years, the Bucks had worked at
Highlights from an array of
committee positions Elsie held over a period of several decades include fifteen
years as a member of the Board of Trustees for AU, chairing the Committee for
the restoration of the Sutherland House on the AU campus, and chairing the AU
Inaugural Committee in 1984. She also served as AU Alumni President from
1977-79. These activities, plus with numerous others in the community and
region, led to many honors for unusual accomplishment.
During her presidency of the
Berrien Commission on Beautification and Development, Berrien Springs received
a National Clean Up Award, presented to her in
A frequent adjudicator for
the National Guild of Piano Teachers, she served as chairman of its Southwest
Michigan Chapter for eight years. She was an active member in other music
associations, including Music Educators National Conference and The Hymn
Society of the United States and Canada.
A charter member of IAMA,
Buck served as its president for seventeen years. She worked tirelessly on
behalf of the association, informing church leaders about its work, promoting
it at gatherings of musicians and non-musicians alike, and maintaining contact with
the board. She and her husband were very generous donors, providing funding for
the operation of IAMA when normal sources of income were not adequate.
Buck's concern about all
things musical as they relate to the church was evident in the over forty President's
Messages she penned in IAMA's magazine, Notes, and in the
articles she contributed. She worked closely with me in my role as editor,
making countless encouraging and informative calls as I prepared Notes and
met with the board when she was unable to attend the IAMA board Annual
Meetings. In those many calls I got to know her as a thoughtful and informed
person as we talked not only about music but theology, world events, and
politics, as well.
A solo performer in a variety
of settings over many years, she worked with Blythe Owen, noted Adventist
pianist and composer, in presenting numerous duo-piano recitals in the 1970s
and 1980s. They produced a recording during those years, a second for Buck who
had earlier made a solo record.
The Bucks traveled
extensively around the world. Their three children and five grandchildren were
present when they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in 2008.
The Bucks were residing in Niles, Michigan, at the time of her death on August
21, 2012, at age 89.
ds/2008/2012/2017
Sources:
Numerous conversations, 1992-2009; Ronald Knott, "Tribute to a
Trustee," Andrews University Focus, Winter 1987/1988; "Edwin
and Elsie Buck celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary with family
and friends," The Journal Era, Berrien Springs, MI, 2 July 2008,
16; 65th Anniversary celebration program; Tribute by Dan Shultz at
her memorial service, 9 September 2012; email from Loreen Davis Townsend,
December 1, 2016; Buck and Wommack Family trees,
Elsie Landon Buck Lifestory, Ancestry.com; Obituary,
AU, Focus Summer 2012; Interviews
with Ted Mack, November 2010 and March 2011; personal knowledge