In Memoriam for Bill Buice
The K-SAA is saddened at the loss of our Past President, William Thomas Buice, III, who passed away on November 10, 2025.
We remember Bill, and continue to honor his work and contributions, for his years of service and support. Bill shared treasures from his collection by speaking at a panel for the 2022 Romantic Bicentennials Curran Symposium, "Keats and Shelley on the Move," held at The Grolier Club. In addition, Bill and Stuart Buice remain the inspiration for the Buice Travel Fund, in more ways than just the name.
Bill was also past President of The University Club, The Grolier Club, the North Carolina Society of New York, the First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York, and Union Chapel in the Grove on Shelter Island, a former President of the Board of The Rare Book School at the University of Virginia, and was a member of The Century Association.
The K-SAA would like to share excerpts from the moving announcement posted by The Grolier Club, and hope that those interested in honoring him can attend on February 2nd and 6:30pm EST. Please RSVP to attend in person, or watch the livestream: Grolier Club William T. Buice Memorial.
The Grolier Club has announced with deep regret the death of William Thomas Buice, III (1939–2025), lawyer, collector, and Past President of the Club, who died on November 10, 2025, at the age of 86. A native of North Carolina, Bill Buice combined distinguished legal practice with a lifelong devotion to books, collecting, and fellowship. Elected to The Grolier Club in 1975, he quickly became, in the words of fellow member William Higgins, “not only one of the Club’s most popular members, but one of its most respected leaders.” Known for his warmth, generosity, and trademark bowtie, Bill served extensively across the Club’s institutional life, including as President from 1998 to 2002, where he stood “at the very heart of the Club’s institutional life” as “a trusted advisor on matters legal, diplomatic and bibliophilic.”
Despite his formidable professional credentials, Bill remained, as Higgins observed, “a dyed-in-the-wool Romantic.” His collecting interests centered on nineteenth- and twentieth-century English literature, particularly the English Romantics and the Bloomsbury Group, and for many years he chaired the Keats-Shelley Association of America. A devoted bibliophile since college, Bill shared his love of books with his late wife, Stuart Upchurch Buice, herself a collector and Grolier member; their first date, famously, was an antiquarian book auction. As Donald Reiman wrote when proposing Bill for membership in 1975, he possessed “a warm, outgoing personality” and could always “be counted upon to pull his weight”—a promise fulfilled through decades of service, mentorship, and friendship. As Higgins reflected, words that remained true until Bill’s passing, “He remains one of the Club’s most beloved figures, and a good friend to us all.”
A hybrid memorial celebrating the life of William T. Buice, III will be held by The Grolier Club on Monday, February 2, 2026, from 6:30–8:00 pm EST. Friends, colleagues, and fellow members are invited to gather in remembrance, with stories shared and refreshments served.
Grolier Club William T. Buice Memorial
Monday, February 2, 2026, 6:30– 8:00 pm EST
