Bob Buckeye has the memory one would expect of a trivia buff.
“Jimi Hendrix was the answer,” said Buckeye, remembering a correct response from a past trivia challenge.
His interest in competitive trivia began about five years ago, when Buckeye was up late writing and, needing to see people and take a break from his work, he ventured to Two Brothers, despite the negative 15-degree temperature. Although he had never played and knew nothing of the game, Buckeye joined a team that night and since then has been hooked. Two Brothers no longer has a trivia night because teams have lost interest, but Buckeye is hosting a trivial pursuit fundraiser for HOPE, a poverty agency he is involved with, on April 26 at Two Brothers and he is encouraging college students to attend.
Buckeye accumulated a collection of trivia throughout a long and winding career path that began with his role as a professor in the 1960s. Buckeye taught contemporary American literature at the University of Connecticut, the University of Puerto Rico and Wayne State University in Michigan. After a few years of teaching, Buckeye came to a crossroads; he either needed to get his doctorate or he needed to begin teaching at the high school level. Instead, he received a library degree, and was hired by the College as an archivist.
With a responsibility to be aware of and to preserve the history of the school, Buckeye learned much about the College in his 32 years as archivist.
“I also ran a speaker series, the Abernethy Series,” he said. “I gave about 270 introductions.”
His series featured a wide array of individuals. Many had not attended college and had achieved success in other ways. Understanding that these individuals were not subjects the College would normally ask to speak, Buckeye maintained that his speakers each had an important voice to be heard.
Through his work as archivist and through the presentations of the speakers, Buckeye accumulated a wealth of knowledge. These connections to the College’s history and to the greater Middlebury community inspired him to start the Quarry Book Series. The writing highlights the lives of 10 Middlebury students or Vermont residents, and illustrates what it means to be a Vermonter. The College’s historical documents aided in his search for information.
“One of the books in the series is about Edwin James, who graduated from Middlebury in 1816,” Buckeye said. “James was a doctor, a botanist, a geologist and an Indian translator, and he was the first white man to climb Pike’s Peak.”
Outside the realm of Middlebury College, the 1960s Kent State shooting had a big impact on Buckeye personally, and he recently published a book on the subject. There is no central character in his novel, but instead, a number of people whose lives intersect to create a composite story. Buckeye examined how the event affected and changed individuals’ lives.
Buckeye also owns a publishing company, Amandla Publishing. The name means “power” in Zulu.
“The authors in my collection deserve attention,” Buckeye said. “I select important works by experimental writers that otherwise would not be read.”
Raised in Lakewood, Ohio, Buckeye was the youngest of three boys. His mother received a third-grade education and his father continued through sixth grade. His parents’ lack of opportunities as children inspired Buckeye to get involved with HOPE, the county poverty agency. He feels he can give back to the community because he now sits in a position of privilege.
“People are responsible for one another and we need to learn how to live together as a community,” he said.
HOPE attempts to curb the effects of poverty through housing, food and fuel assistance. Buckeye is the chair of the HOPE board this year, after holding other positions in the past. He said the organization has a five-year plan to educate people and help them progress forward. There is special emphasis on food assistance, and Buckeye said people are learning about healthier food choices and many are attending cooking classes as well.
Besides playing trivia, writing, publishing, and helping to develop outreach efforts to local community members, Buckeye also travels. He enjoys sitting at a sidewalk café with a cup of coffee in hand, watching life pass by.
“This is the fourth summer I am renting an apartment in Bratislava,” said Buckeye. “I was charmed the first time I visited the old city because it complements the small-town life of Middlebury.”
Bratislava is a city in Slovakia, the country in which Buckeye’s mother was born. Buckeye believes Europe has a different view of the world. According to Buckeye, Europeans see life less naively because many have been controlled by an oppressor, and know what it feels like to live without power. However, Buckeye is not ready to give up his home in Middlebury because he finally feels he knows the town and the people after living here for 39 years.
Part of his life in Middlebury, now habitual after so many years, is writing. Buckeye writes every morning, even if he is tired or does not feel well because once he starts he feels engaged and involved in his work. He calls himself a “late life writer” because he was not published until he was 38 years old. Buckeye writes because he wants to; he has a “vision.”
“I write for those who have no voice to express themselves,” he said. “And my writing is a search for the love to fulfill one’s life.”
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