Wisner Buckbee retires from Warwick Valley Telephone Board of Directors

WARWICK - To see Wisner Buckbee working his dairy farm which he still does seven days every week, one would never associate him with the word retirement. But earlier this month WVT Communications (the Warwick Valley Telephone Company) did announce that Wisner H. Buckbee, who had been chairman of the Board of Directors since 2001, had retired from that Board, effective June 30. Buckbee had served as a member of the Board since 1991 and was also on the Audit Committee, the Governance and Nominating Committee, and the Budget and Pension Committee. Buckbee, who was born in 1936, is a ninth generation member of Wisners, the maternal side of his family, who settled in this area before the American Revolution. He and his wife, Gladys, live in an historic stone house on their family farm that dates back to at least 1770. Captain John Wisner, an early ancestor, served in the American Revolution. Albert Wisner was born in the same house now occupied by Buckbee and it was his wife, Annie, whose generous gift to honor her late husband established the present Albert Wisner Memorial Library in 1927. With such strong family roots in Warwick, Buckbee has always felt compelled to serve the community off the farm as well as on it. In addition to serving in a leadership position on the Board of Trustees for the Albert Wisner Library, Buckbee also served on the Town of Warwick Planning Board. He was elected to serve as a Town Councilman from 1970-74 and was chairman of the Orange County Community College Board of Trustees during the last two out of nine years of service. He is also one of the founders of the Down State Milk Producers Cooperative and currently serves as president of that organization. The Governance Committee of the Warwick Valley Telephone Co. appointed Robert J. DeValentino as Interim Chairman of the Board until the next election of officers in April 2010. At this time, the Board does not intend to fill the committee positions previously held by Buckbee. “Wisner Buckbee has the sharpest business mind of anyone I ever met in my career,” said Duane Albro, president and CEO of WVT Communications. “He’s a wise investor as well as a wise businessman and he leaves us with a huge void. We’re thankful for his valuable service and we wish him continued success.”