Can't wait to share Buck Wilson's story

Forty years ago this May, I remember standing in a long line on the floor of Greyhound Arena to receive my diploma from Eastern New Mexico University.

My dentist — and dear family friend — Buck Wilson was chairman of ENMU’s Board of Regents at the time. With the other regents, he was on stage taking turns passing out diplomas and handshakes.

As I inched toward the moment marking the completion of my undergraduate degree, I was a little disappointed to see that a different regent was currently in the midst of a lengthy turn of the ol’ “grip and grin” routine.

But as I stepped up, my buddy Buck Wilson moved forward, retrieved my diploma from his colleague, and gave me both my sheepskin and a bear hug.

It meant the world to me then — and still does — as have the many encounters we have had in the years that have followed, often at ENMU activities.

It was bittersweet to learn this week that Wilson and his wife, Roberta, will be moving to Pocahontas, Ark., at the end of this month to be closer to their extended family.

The ENMU Foundation has scheduled a going-away reception from 2-5 p.m. on March 25 at the Casa del Sol event center (or Dallan Sanders’ old house, for you old-timers), 1401 W. 17th St., Portales, to allow us to come by and show appreciation for a man who has made untold contributions to his alma mater.

I had the chance to spend a couple of wonderful hours with Buck and Roberta Wilson last weekend as they took a short break from packing in preparation for the move, and I’ve also gotten to hear some great stories from others who have known and worked with Buck over the years.

Buck Wilson has had a lengthy and memorable association with Eastern New Mexico University, including “breaking more bones than I can count” as the quarterback for the football team during the late 1950s, serving as an ENMU regent and a member of the New Mexico Commission of Higher Education, and helping establish what will perhaps be his greatest legacy: the ENMU Foundation.

There are too many good stories to fit into today’s column, but please join me in Sunday’s edition of The Eastern New Mexico News for an expanded look at the man at least one person has called “the best and most influential ambassador Eastern has ever had.”

Betty Williamson loves Buck Wilson and can’t wait to share his story. Reach her at:

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