Lawrence George Buc

Lawrence George (Larry) Buc died at home in Chevy Chase, MD, surrounded by family, on May 16, 2025. He leaves his beloved wife of nearly 25 years, Leigh Schuyler Houck. He is also survived by his sons, Jason S. M. Buc (Hannah Murphy Buc), Alexander D. Buc (partner Lauren C. Dickert), and Leo C. Buc (Megan Watson), his stepsons James Houck (Katherine M. Houck ) and Rob Roy Houck (Jessica Charchalis), and Larry and Leigh’s grandchildren Sammie, Michaela, Ari, Ryder, Cora, Talon, Savannah, and Sadie. His sister, Nancy L. Buc, also survives him. Other survivors: Kathleen Buc Gallagher, mother of his sons, and Kellie Minnick, mother of Ryder. He was predeceased by his sister, Vivian E. Buc, and grandchild Avery.

Born in 1946 in East Orange, New Jersey to Ethel R. Buc and George L. Buc, Larry was the second of three children in the family. The family lived for his first 8 years in Orange and then West Orange, N.J., then moved to Upper St. Clair, outside of Pittsburgh, Pa., where he graduated from Upper St. Clair Junior Senior High School. The family then moved to Fairfax, VA.

Larry graduated from Brown University in 1968 with an A.B. with honors in Mathematics and Economics, and later received an M.A. in Economics from George Washington University. During the Vietnam War, he served his country for 5 years as a teacher of mathematics in the District of Columbia Public Schools, where he also founded a chess club.

He thereafter began a career of 40 years of professional accomplishment. As he put it in his resume, his work in both the public and the private sectors “integrated environmental, postal, policy, regulatory, legislative, economic, financial, and legal issues.”

After teaching, his first jobs were at the U.S. Postal Service and then the Postal Rate Commission, followed by work on hazardous and solid waste at the Environmental Protection Agency. Moving to the private sector, he worked as a consultant in both postal and environmental matters, including environmental work for the Postal Service. He often served as a witness in postal rate matters; in one such matter, he successfully argued for the “Buc Adjustment” to a proposed rate. (Anyone interested in the complexity of Larry’s work in rate cases should take a look at any decision of the Postal Rate Commission.)

He worked successively at Sobotka & Company, Buc & Associates, ICF Incorporated, and Project Performance Company, after which, with Stuart Elliott and Sander Glick, he founded SLS Consulting. (The first S stands for either Stuart or Sandy, the second S for the other; the L was, of course, the president, Larry.)

Larry and Leigh loved spending time with their blended family (every grandchild associates them with Disney World, and most grandchildren have seen Peter Pan). Everyone on the Buc side of the family joined them for trips to Bar Harbor for hiking and lobster rolls. Larry and Leigh also enjoyed travel, gardens and gardening, walking and hiking, reading, art, and, not least, good food – both cooked at home and in restaurants. Larry rooted successively for the New York Yankees, the Pittsburgh Pirates (Yes! Bill Mazeroski hit the home run to defeat the Yankees in the 1960 World Series), and the Washington Nationals.

Beginning in 2016, Larry got very involved in Democratic politics, focussing on candidates concerned, as he was so deeply, about democracy in all its manifestations, equal opportunity and civil rights for all people, and the importance of truth. His early work on Virginia state legislative races ultimately led a few years later to a Democratic majority that, for example, added Virginia to the list of states that greatly expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. He continued working with grassroots organizations in several states, believing that organizing at the local level is the key to success at all levels.

Larry and Leigh volunteered together at the Capital Area Food Bank and supported it financially, believing it to be an important base for improving the lives of many. Now, more than ever, for reasons that most reading this will understand, the Capital Food Bank urgently needs support. So, please, to remember Larry as he wished to be remembered, consider a contribution to the Capital Area Food Bank, give.capitalareafoodbank.org.

One more thing. To celebrate Larry, go soon and regularly to Dairy Queen for a twist and/or to the grocery store for a pint of Haagen Dazs coffee ice cream.

A Celebration of Life for Larry Buc will be held on Saturday, May 24, 2025, at 1 pm at The Field School, 2301 Foxhall Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20007.