Peter Buck (December 19, 1930 – November 18, 2021) was an American physicist, restaurateur, and philanthropist who co-founded the Subway fast-food restaurant chain alongside Fred DeLuca.
[5][6][7] In 1957, Buck went to work for General Electric at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in Schenectady, New York.
There, he performed tests and calculations on atomic power plants being developed for U.S. Navy submarines and surface ships.
[8] Together Buck and DeLuca formed "Doctor's Associates" to oversee operations as the restaurant business expanded.
[10] Subway continued to grow over the ensuing years and by 2010 became the largest fast food chain worldwide, with 33,749 restaurants.
[13] The foundation's mission is to "give motivated people the tools they need to help themselves," supporting causes such as education, journalism, medicine, and land conservation.
[16] The Buck family, which includes some of Maine's largest landowners with over 1.3 million acres of timberland held through the Tall Timbers Trust, has been a significant benefactor to the foundation.
[21] Curator Jeffrey Post called the gem “the most important addition to the collection in the 20 years that I’ve been here.”[22] In 2008, Bowdoin College awarded Buck an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
[25] As of 2020, Buck was the seventh-largest landowner in the United States by acreage, according to landreport.com,[26] acquiring land for the purpose of open space conservation.