Leslie Buck, Anthora Coffee Cup Designer, Dead At 87

Leslie Buck, the creator of the iconic Anthora coffee cup, has died.

Buck, a retired executive at a paper-cup company, passed away at his home in Glen Cove on Monday. His son Robert told the New York Times that the "cause was complications of Parkinson's disease."

The Anthora cup, perhaps better known as the "white and blue" cup or the "Greek" cup or the "We Are Happy To Serve You" cup has been a staple at diners, delis, bodegas, and really anywhere coffee is served in New York for years. It is so common, in fact, that it has become an iconic symbol of the city, right up there along with the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Created in 1963, the cup was either originally supposed to be called the "amphora" cup or be a play on that word.

According to the Times,

Mr. Buck made no royalties from the cup, but he did so well in sales commissions that it hardly mattered, his son said. On his retirement from Sherri in 1992, the company presented Mr. Buck with 10,000 specially made Anthoras, printed with a testimonial inscription.

Buck is survived his wife Ella, children Robert, Beverly and Linda, and four grandchildren.