A Celebration of Life for Jack Buckham, who passed away last June at age 78, will be held July 2 at the Sagebrush Theatre (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

JACK BUCKHAM

Celebration of Life, fundraising dinner to be held for Kamloops sports legend Jack Buckham

May 11, 2022 | 11:30 AM

KAMLOOPS — Jack Buckham had a profound influence as an educator, coach and mentor — first at Valleyview Secondary and then Kam High.

“I was mentored by Jack my first teaching job at Valleyview,” said former Athletic Director at Valleyview Secondary Kevin Carswell. “Just an amazing person to have as my mentor. The things he taught me still have a footprint at Valleyview, as I developed traditions there.”

It was a year ago that Kamloops lost the sports legend. A former high school basketball coach and Athletic Director, Buckham continued giving back to the game until his passing last June at age 78.

As a coach, Buckham took the 1974 Kam High boys’ basketball team to the provincial final. Beyond coaching, Buckham chaired the 1993 Canada Summer Games and helped coordinate the AA basketball championships that were held in Kamloops for many years.

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Now that COVID-19 restrictions have eased, a Celebration of Life is being held in Buckham’s honour on July 2. Following the celebration, there will be a fundraising dinner to raise money for the newly-minted Jack Buckham Team 73 Leadership Award.

“The tickets are $50. Twenty-five of those dollars will go directly to the bursary, and along with that we’ll be doing a silent auction and any money raised again will go to the bursary,” noted Carswell.

The bursary will be awarded to high school athletes in Kamloops who not only excel on the field of play but also off it with great leadership qualities.

“Jack was really adamant about students having the opportunity to be involved in athletes, and secondly their involvement should be at a high level of committment,” said Carswell. “Along with that, showing good personal characteristics of being able to be all-inclusive, be a person in the hallways at school that is positive and encouraging.”

Buckham’s Celebration of Life will be held at the Sagebrush Theatre from 1-3 p.m. and is open to the public. The fundraising dinner is at TRU’s Grand Hall and tickets are available here.

Businesses that are able to donate silent auction items are asked to contact Kevin Carswell at 778-220-5432.