Submitted by the Northwest Arkansas Chapter

Rear Adm. Jack Buffington, USN (Ret), has a legacy of service, achievements, and commendations. Upon graduating from the University of Arkansas, he enlisted in the Navy, intending to serve his four years. However, he was convinced by his recruiter to become a naval officer, and upon graduating from Officer Candidate School, Buffington was commissioned as a civil engineering officer.

“My commitment to four years in the Navy ended 34 years later,” he said.

His final command position was as chief of engineers and commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Command, responsible for a $7 billion budget and 22,000 military and civilian employees.

Buffington has been recognized with 30 naval service awards, including two Navy Distinguished Service medals, the highest awards given in peacetime. He recently was inducted into the Arkansas Military Veterans’ Hall of Fame.

Upon retirement, he returned to his true passion, collegiate academia, working as a research professor in the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Arkansas. He currently is a research professor emeritus.

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Buffington said that while he thoroughly involved himself with teaching, “my primary desire and goal was to assist students finding jobs.” For this, he was awarded the school’s Outstanding Service to Students Award four times.

In addition to his induction into the Arkansas Military Veterans Hall of Fame, Buffington, a native of  Westville, Okla., has been inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame and was recognized as the Northwest Arkansas Engineer of the Year and subsequently the Arkansas Professional Engineer of the Year.

Most recently, he received the University of Arkansas’ Citation of Distinguished Alumni award, recognizing “professional and personal achievement and extraordinary distinction in a chosen field.”

In his spare time, Buffington has been a 20-year volunteer with the Rocky Branch Volunteer Fire Department that provides fire, rescue, and basic EMS to communities on Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas. He is also active in his local church and in the Northwest Arkansas Chapter of MOAA.