Knox College Athletics

It has been said that a man never has to leave his home to change the world in unique ways through the relationships he develops and the lives he touches. There is no better way to describe the life of Russell “Bucky” Swise.

“Bucky”, as he was always been (and prefers to be) called, spent his entire life in Galesburg—a life dedicated to teaching and coaching in the community, including Knox College.

Bucky attended Knox from 1938 to 1942 and his lists of accomplishment are long and distinguished. He was three-year letter winner in basketball and track and even though he never played organized football before attending Knox, Bucky suited up for two seasons and lettered his senior year.

Yet Bucky’s greatest accomplishment may have come as a junior, when he was awarded the Hunter Trophy for achieving the highest scholastic average of all two-spot male athletes.

Bucky’s time as a Knox Student was just a precursor to a lifetime of achievement and service to other. After graduating from Knox he served, with distinction, as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army, the only extended period of time he has spent away from Galesburg. He then returned home to teach. For 17 years Bucky taught and coached for District 205 at the junior high level and was later enshrined in the Galesburg High School Hall of Fame.

He returned to Knox College in the 1950’s and served for 15 years as the Director of Learning Aids, acting Dean of Men and in the late sixties and early seventies he served as a baseball coach.

Bucky’s service to the community of Galesburg can best be described as constant and committed. He has been an active member of the Rotary Club, served as President of the Board of Trustees of the Galesburg Public Library, and served on the board of the Galesburg American Cancer Society.

Knox College and the greater Galesburg community are fortunate Bucky and his wife Rosemary Creighton Swise '42 chose a life-long residency in Galesburg. All four of their children were Knox students, John '65, Sally '68, Jim '74, and Tom '77; and one grandchild, Katherine '01.