On George Buck

I probably chose photography as my profession because I knew that my father couldn’t protest too much, as he worked in film coating at Kodak Canada.

George Buck grew up in a big old Victorian house in central Toronto, the last of four children of the neighborhood doctor (born 93 years ago: October 21, 1933). He was a studious and well-behaved child who ended up attending the University of Toronto and eventually became a chemical engineer. He started at Kodak in his mid-20s and worked his way up to being the head of the department (and stayed for over 30 years).

I worked as a student at the company, and one summer I worked the night shift. While I cleaned the cafeteria and toilets, he was the head of the building. He believed that it was important that young people work manual labor jobs to walk in the shoes of regular people.

Part of the experience was that people in the building knew that I was the boss's son; they kept coming up to me and spoke of my father. Employees of all stripes, from office staff to warehouse workers, would tell me how much he was liked and respected by the folks of the company. I suppose it was in their interest to speak well of the boss, but it ultimately felt genuine and made me proud to be his son.

Like many fathers of this generation, his presence at home was largely as a figurehead. He worked long hours, and he valued his downtime when he was away from the office. Nevertheless, he functioned as a great role model, as a husband and a father.

He was honest to a fault. Well, at least my mom would say that. She tells stories of occasionally trying to utilize the convenience of a white lie, but my father wouldn’t play along and sometimes put them in peril of social or legal trouble because of his forthright honesty. For example, when we were crossing the border back from the States after a shopping spree, he would declare every item that we bought, negating a substantial part of the savings.

Even as a child, I recognized that my father was exceptionally decent and honorable. He set the bar high in ways that I know I’ll never meet. But having him as a goal is still valuable!

Top Image: George A. Buck, Kodak business card, mid-eighties.

Second Image: George with the newspaper after work, Etobicoke, July 1988. (Focus test for Chris’ 35mm camera.)

Bottom Image: George & Margo Buck, Etobicoke backyard, October 1st, 1989. Chris: “I'd just bought my first Hasselblad, and it was beautiful but totally inscrutable, and I was looking for any opportunity to practice. I ended up asking my parents to pause their autumn yard work for a picture together. The camera went on to shoot Julia Child, Elvis Costello, and Chris Farley—but this early frame is still the most valuable.”