Sheldon Buck’s MKA Education Propelled Him to Mission Control, and in Gratitude He Is Making an Estate Gift

Sheldon Buck ’54

Sheldon Buck ’54 repeated first grade at Brookside because he hadn’t learned how to read, but in third grade the school realized that his poor eyesight was affecting his academics. With a new pair of glasses, his learning skyrocketed—all the way to MIT and a career in aerospace and aeronautics.

Grateful for the education and personal attention that he received, Sheldon is a loyal supporter of Montclair Kimberley Academy’s annual fund—and is also making a gift through his estate, which qualifies him for membership in the MKA Heritage Society. “I know that a gift from my estate will have a lasting legacy and benefit generations of young students to come,” Sheldon says.

Sheldon’s estate gift is unrestricted, meaning it can be used for any purpose determined by the school. That is the most flexible kind of gift and especially makes sense for estate gifts since it is unknown when they will be received.

Sheldon may have attended MKA longer than any other student; he started at the young age of two and a half. He went on to be valedictorian of his graduating class, earn a near perfect score on the math college entrance exam, and gain early admission to MIT. He attributes his academic success to the teaching approach at Brookside and Montclair Academy. “They didn’t teach you to memorize facts,” he says. “They taught you to think, to learn, and to develop knowledge.”

After earning an MIT degree in aeronautics and astronautics in 1959, Sheldon helped develop aerospace control systems—including for intercontinental ballistic missiles. He then worked on instrument systems for oceanography and lunar exploration—and trained the Apollo 17 crew and worked at Mission Control in Houston during the flight. All flights in space not completed by a Shuttle have been possible because of Sheldon’s design work. Prior to retiring, Sheldon was the Assistant Director at the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory.

“I support MKA because it provided the foundation from which I learned the values of friendship, collaboration, cultivating differing viewpoints, and perseverance,” Sheldon says.