Beloved educator Kenneth Buckley has passed away at the age of 93.
Buckley was a longtime mathematics instructor at Yazoo City High School for 38 years. Upon his retirement, he taught at Benton Academy.
Buckley graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi. Within his tenure in the local school system, he was selected as STAR Teacher on several occasions.
Outside of the classroom at Yazoo City High School, Buckley tended to the school’s football scoreboard for over 30 years.
“Working behind the scenes in his quiet and unassuming way, Buckley has proven himself a mainstay to the school district,” a 1989 Yazoo Herald article reads. “Out of his 30 years tending to the scoreboard, he has missed only two games, and both of those times because of circumstances beyond his control.”
Buckley was also coach for the local youth Pee Wee “Green” Football Team.
Buckley was also a veteran, serving in the Air Force during the Korean War. He first joined the armed forces on June 16, 1952 and was honorably discharged on Nov. 9, 1954. His brother, Cruit, also served in the Pacific theater with the Marines during World War II. Another similarity Buckley shared with his brother was that they were both mathematics teachers.
Buckley was also an avid gardener, particularly with bananas. He, along with neighbor Bill Brown, were photographed in The Yazoo Herald with two bunches of bananas harvested from Buckley’s investment in what they referred to as “Wildwood Banana Company.”
