[Nfbwv-talk] Buck Saunders passed away last night at age 76

[Marcus Soulsby]

I simply cannot believe this.  Convention will not be the same without Buck.

Prayers for Mary Ann and family.
_______________________________________________
Marcus E. Soulsby
msoulsby at suddenlink.net

Learn more about the National Federation of the Blind at:
http://www.nfb.org/
http://www.nfbwv.org/


-----Original Message-----
From: Nfbwv-talk [mailto:nfbwv-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Brad
Hodges
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 12:15 PM
To: NFB of West Virginia Discussion List
Subject: [Nfbwv-talk] Buck Saunders passed away last night at age 76

This is one of the most difficult messages I have had to send in recent
memory, because it is to let you know that at around midnight yesterday Buck
Saunders passed away.

Many of us were gathered together when we inducted both Buck and Mary Ann
into the NFB of WV Hall of Fame. Here is a brief quotation from the remarks
which Ed McDonald delivered at that presentation.

"Willis Gene Saunders was born September 13, 1937, in Huntington, WV.  
As a young boy attending the West Virginia School for the Blind in Romney,
his imagination was forever captivated by the drama of science fiction
heroes, gangsters, villains, detectives and crime solvers that he heard on
the radio.  Fascinated by the heroic adventures of Buck Rogers, he took on
the moniker that has stayed with him throughout his life.  Buck is a 1958
graduate of the School for the Blind, and in 1971 he earned a degree in
speech and psychology from Marshall University.  
His early employment included jobs as a clerk typist with the Pennsylvania
Department of Welfare and as a police and fire dispatcher in Cabell County."

 From my perspective as a relative newcomer to the NFB of WV family Buck
immediately impressed me as a man who was Always properly skeptical of the
self important, yet he was never cynical about his fellow citizens or the
idea that by working together we can improve the human condition.

Buck had a habit of posing an idea by beginning, "I've been thinking of
something which you may think is really far out, but..." There was no
question that the commentary which followed was likely to be complex and
would challenge the listener to follow his very unique narrative, but at the
end of the trail there was something of value, worth thinking seriously
about.

Mary Ann is with her daughters, Laura and Terri,  this morning. As soon as
plans are announced we will forward them to you.

At the Hall of Fame presentation Buck was quoted as saying he wanted to be
part of an organization which "wasn't afraid to stand up on its hind feet
and say enough is enough." That is the spirit of Buck Saunders which will
always remain close to my heart

Brad     Hodges.




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