For those who don’t know our history, Buck Knives has been a family business since the beginning. CJ Buck, who wrote this story, is the 4th generation family member to lead the company. CJ took over from his father Chuck. Chuck from his father Al. Al took the reins from his father, Hoyt Buck, the founder of Buck Knives. Now that you know a bit more about us, here is a family story of an innocent, but costly childhood mistake! One that still hurts today…
Remembering back, I was 11 years old standing in the kitchen of our El Cajon, California home as my father began to inflate. You ever recall a time when your dad was really, really angry with you and although he hadn’t really said anything, you can tell he is absorbing the situation and preparing to translate all that burgeoning energy into dramatic action? All I can say is thank goodness my mother was there to intercede on my behalf!
It was summer of 1972 and I had just graduated from the 6th grade. I had taken up skin diving and a group of us was hitching a ride to the beach with one of the moms. There is a jetty that separates West Mission Beach with Ocean Beach and you could play in the waves at Mission and then snorkel in the jetty. I knew “divers” were supposed to have a knife, and I remembered a knife in the kitchen junk drawer and slipped it into my bathing suit pocket. The pocket had a button on the top so I thought the knife would be safe enough. My only memory of that day was realizing at one point that the brass ended folder, an old Buck model #112, was no longer in my pocket. Oh well…easy come easy go.
A couple months later I was watching TV when my father called me into the kitchen from the living room. Mom was at the sink with her back to me as I entered, and to her far left stood Dad with the “junk” drawer open. He asked me if I had seen a folding knife that used to be in that drawer. I said sure, I had taken it on a skin diving trip to the beach and lost it in the water.
He took a deep breath and said, “Chuckie, what you lost was the prototype for the 112 Ranger. What were you thinking?” As a parent myself I understand the temptation to ask that question, but come on…who even said I was thinking? He started ramping up on how valuable and meaningful and…and…and… That is when my mother stepped in and said “Chuck, why was the knife in the kitchen junk drawer?”
He just deflated. Kids have no sense of history, and at the time, even now knowing the knife was important, I had no idea how much it might mean to him. Looking back now, he might even have hand built it. I said I was sorry, he accepted that, and it was never spoke of again.
Oh how I would love to have that knife in our Buck Knives museum now…
By CJ Buck – CEO and Chairman of Buck Knives
