Rare Book School Mourns the Passing of William T. Buice III


It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of William T. Buice III on 10 November 2025. A lawyer and book collector, Bill was an outspoken advocate for Rare Book School (RBS) as well as for the book collecting community and the wider nonprofit world. 

As the second Chair of the RBS Board of Directors (2008–2014), Bill helped build the Board in ways that propelled its culture of philanthropy and fiduciary oversight. Among his many accomplishments as Board Chair was overseeing the successful transition of RBS’s directorship from Terry Belanger to Michael F. Suarez, S.J., in 2009. After his term as Chair ended, Bill remained a devoted member of RBS’s Advisory Board, most recently attending a virtual meeting this past September. 

Photo of a man with glasses wearing a striped shirt with a collar. His elbows are resting on a table and he has his hands clasped as he looks off camera.

Bill Buice as a student in RBS course
B-90: Publishers’ Bookbindings,
1830–1910 in 2007.

In 2014, Rare Book School established a scholarship in Bill’s honor that covers full tuition to RBS courses for returning students with demonstrable financial need. As of 2025, 117 students have benefited from the William T. Buice III Scholarship. 

Bill was also a student of the book himself, enrolling in various RBS courses, including Donors & Libraries; Introduction to Illuminated Manuscripts; Publishers’ Bookbindings, 1830–1910; and The Printed Book in the West to 1800. 

“Bill’s leadership was essential to the long-term success of our School,” said Executive Director Michael Suarez. “He built up the Board and set it on a sure foundation for better governance and greater philanthropy. Together with his late wife Stuart, he fostered community among RBS board members, faculty, and staff. A quintessential gentleman, he had a genius for friendship—all who knew him were better for his company and conversation.”  

Bill contributed his time, expertise, and resources to many other bookish causes. He was the President of the Grolier Club from 1998 to 2002, having become a member in 1975. Bill led more than a dozen 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations as past president or chair, including the Grolier Club, the University Club, the Keats-Shelley Association of America, the Century Association, and the First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York, among others;  in addition he was a Board Member of the Morgan Library & Museum. He also collected nineteenth- and twentieth-century English literature, especially the Bloomsbury Group and the English Romantics. Charles Lamb was a particular favorite of his. 

Bill was a much beloved member of the Rare Book School community. His kindness and intelligence will be sorely missed. 

In lieu of flowers, Bill’s family has requested that donations in his memory be made to Rare Book School or to the Grolier Club, two causes close to his heart.  

Donations to Rare Book School may be made in Bill’s memory here. 

Bill shared some wonderful stories during his oral history video interview for Rare Book School’s 40th anniversary in 2023. Watch his interview on the RBS YouTube channel.