Bill and Frank I discovered the magic of WFB's astonishing mind "Just in Time" as the title of Sinatra's version of the Comden, Green, & Julie Steyn tune suggests. As a recent transplant to Manhattan from the smokestack corridors of that great but failing steel city of Youngstown, Ohio, I was just a kid with a dream who wanted to follow in his father's show-biz footsteps.
It was 1975 and I, through a friend who was a senior-executive at the International Paper Co., was presented me with an opportunity to write speeches for him. I had been a successful ad writer back in Ohio, but this was way over my head. Bill Buckley to the rescue. Someone had left a copy of National Review in the lobby of our offices at the Daily News building. It looked intriguing and I thought, why not? That first issue was like discovering the keys to an intellectual paradise. The clarity with which Mr. B laid bare every issue he wrote of left me flabbergasted. What a mind! I suppose at the time I subconsciously compared it to the readings of Sinatra, every lyric dripping with honesty, every phrase poignant and personal.
The payoff was that for the next four and one-half years I infused every speech with that irrefutable Buckley logic and went on to become a rising star at International Paper. Without WFB I would probably not have had the steely resolve I needed and would be back as just another wannabe in a failing steel town. Thank you Uncle Bill, You were the godfather I needed. Oh, just one other thing. I'd like to imagine that right now, I can hear a heavenly duo off in the distance, you on harpsichord, Francis singing ... "Just in Time, we found you, just in time, before we came, your time was running low..."
George A. Galip, Jr., Los Angeles, Ca. 03/12 04:18 PM  Carry On As many have already said, never could one imagine feeling so close to someone he never met. But William F. Buckley elicited this type of closeness from his fans, me in particular. I was introduced to Buckley late in high school through National Review, then God and Man at Yale, and then, my favorite book, The Unmaking of a Mayor. Never had I come across such elegant prose and sharp wit, combined with an unrelenting and persuasive conservatism.
As a college senior, it is a shame that more of my peers have never heard of Buckley, let alone read his work. I have run into the dilemma (as I'm sure many readers have) of trying to resist reading excerpts of WFB's work to my friends and siblings which I find especially entertaining or enlightening. The obvious problem is that they appear on every page! When trying to turn someone on to an author, overkill is sometimes not the most successful route.
I pray that more young people learn of WFB and delve into his work as I did.
Heaven knows, we need people who are determined to carry on conservatism in his spirit. Brad Duffy, Davenport, Iowa 03/07 12:52 PM "I Loved WFB's Wit, Worldview, and Sarcasm" I have greatly enjoyed perusing the tributes by writers and readers alike. My first exposure to NR occurred in high school, as my girlfriend’s father Richard Trismen was a subscriber. (A consummate gentleman and Yale law grad, he ironically passed away the day after WFB). I loved the magazine, continued reading it in the Tulane Library, read it working in Congress for two years, read it in law school and continue enjoying it today. I loved WFB’s wit, worldview and sarcasm. I must admit in reading the tributes there is so much I did not know about him. I am making it my mission to read his books, and will be thankful for his life and accomplishments.
W. Rogers Turner, Jr. 03/07 12:50 PM He Lived His Life the Way We All Should A week after the great William F. Buckley Jr. has passed on I find myself reviewing him a bit. It was like this when Milton Friedman and Ronald Reagan passed away. These men that so helped to create my line of thinking are so few yet the work that they have produced will be with us forever. At 27 and still maturing politically, I always found great joy in diving into the words of Mr. Buckley. There are few when it comes to politics that have handled the subject with such intelligence, class, and wit. It did not matter which side of the aisle one finds him or herself. Even when I did not agree, it was damn hard to disagree.
Today, the political spectrum seems poisoned to me. Various commentators on both sides are really dumbing down the issues to appeal to the mainstream. I find myself reading more and more of Buckley as this election year heats up. For nobody made a better case for the right and Mr. Buckley made it about being right and backed up his views better than anyone has.
When I read Miles Gone By I recall putting it down and thinking that Buckley lived his life the way we all should. He had the kinds of debates and conversations we all should have. He gave conservatism the kick it so needed and one we need even today. Nobody will ever replace him, but his words and his writings will always be there.
Gregory L. Vince, Lansdale, Pennsylvania 03/07 12:48 PM Indeed, We Have Lost a Giant Thinking back to when I was a boy in the sixties, I can remember the names and faces of only a few people that were on those boring TV political talk shows on Sundays. Back then I didn't know the first thing about politics and didn't care to learn. But there was one man, I remember thinking to myself, that seemed smarter than all the rest. That man, as I later learned, was William F. Buckley, Jr. It would be many years before I would understand breadth and scope of men like him and what value they had to our society. After I began listening to Rush in the early nineties, I started to understand who I was and what I believed about politics and world affairs. Rush helped me develop a framework within which I could better understand and communicate my own views on the issues. It was during that time that I finally began to understand and appreciate the many jewels of wisdom that had come from people like George Will and William F. Buckley, Jr. We have indeed lost a great giant from among us, one for which there can be no adequate replacement. We will certainly miss him! Thank you Mr. Buckley for all you were and all you did while here on this earth! May the great wisdom and insight you imparted carry on through us.
Mark Anders, Salisbury, NC 03/07 12:43 PM Thank You, Bill I only learned about National Review in 1970 when, as an 18-year old foreign student, I picked up my first copy of the magazine at Temple University’s library. Prior to that time, Time and Newsweek had been my window on America. NR’s founder, Bill Buckley, a quintessential American icon (little known outside of North America), opened up a new world to me that voiced thoughts and ideas I had always erroneously believed were somehow too indelicate for public discourse. Not only did he make the magazine an intellectual and eloquent forum for often-controversial conservative points-of-view, but he mixed the thoughtful discussion with the right amounts of levity, self-deprecation and, when necessary, biting sarcasm. Bill gave us strength when the days were dark and he cautioned us against unfounded exuberance during heady times.
As soon as I could scrounge up the money for a subscription, I stopped relying on the library copy and I’ve been a subscriber and fan ever since. Bill, we loved you in so many ways and, although you’re no longer with us, we hope you always knew that the “romance” would never end.
Neville Arjani 03/07 07:26 AM So Long, Friend Gstaad.....March 6, 2008
What can I say about Bill Buckley that hasn't been said.....better and/or more elequently?
So this becomes my junior high school term paper: What William F. Buckley, Jr. Meant to Me.
I have known him since I was about 7 years old....A very long time before he knew me. I was
so fascinated with this strange and wonderful creature on my TV set....His words, his voice,
his mannerisms....All so wonderful. I wondered, not just then but pretty much all these years,
"How did he GET that accent? Did the rest of his family speak like that? Did he speak like
that when he was a kid?; I mean when he was 7? I knew then, that I had to watch all and
any program on which this wonderful man would appear. The way he pronounced "Deim Bien
PHUUUUU", is still with me.
As I grew older, I realized that there was almost nothing about which we agreed and it didn't
matter because whatever he had to say was original and interesting. That I might ever have
the opportunity to actually meet him, was the farthest thing from my mind.
Then in 1995, I saw an ad in an issue of National Review, for a cruise on which would be several people with whom I'd love to mix it up; like Ralph Reed on abortion rights and Judge Robert Bork; also on abortion rights. But never did I plan to try to engage Mr. Buckley in a debate....more out of respect than intimidation. But what has happened over the past 13 years, is that I have become great friends with the National Review "Gang" and that included the Buckleys. And when I have had private time with them, we never got within arm's length of a political discussion. There always seemed to be more fun and interesting things to speak about.
I loved runing into Bill in the village of Gstaad, where we both had long histories. I visited with him and Pat, once, in their chalet and he was in my home for a National Review fundraiser. He sent me one of his more personal books and inside was a letter in which he called me a friend. That meant so much to me. This great treasure of a man called me his friend. Though I think of myself more as a fan, I will always be warmed by that letter; as well as my personal interactions with him and his signs of approval at something I said or did in his presence. I affectionatelly called him "The Buckmeister". One of those holdovers from the 70's. I like to think he didn't mind.
He used his intelligence to educate, never to intimidate. It really does not matter to me what his
political opinions were. The way he expressed them, as well as opinions on other subjects, was like listening to Pavarotti sing. The world beame a black hole for me, when we lost the great Pavarotti and now Bill Buckley....I wrote to him at Christmas; words of encouragement...He wrote back, a short but deeply touching note. I had no idea he was so ill, and now he's gone. But like Pavarotti, we have his art, well recorded, to enjoy and to treasure. It helps, me, at least, get through the pain.
Cat Jagger Pollon 03/06 08:58 AM The Time to Help a Father In Need I first learned of NR and Mr. Buckley from a friend while I was serving my second combat tour in Vietnam. I subscribed then and have been a devoted reader ever since even though some of my issues in those days and since have arrived a bit late and with a "previously read" look to them. In later years, as I became more and more concerned about my son, a Bay Area attorney, and his left leaning tendencies, I sought the advice of Mr. Buckley for some additional reading material that might stimulate at least a gentle turn to the
right. He suggested "Witness" by Whittaker Chambers. I gave the book to my son and it did, in fact, give a rightward nudge. I shall never forget the fact that Mr. Buckley took the time to help a father in need.
Richard H. Morton, Coronado, CA 03/05 11:57 AM He Did Not Just Write and Speak; He Acted Bill Buckley didn't just write and speak about conservative philosophy and causes. He also acted to advance them. One small piece of his immense legacy is his long and ultimately successful legal fight to free radio and TV commentators from forced union membership. As a then junior Staff Attorney at the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which provided Mr. Buckley's attorneys, I was proud to have played a small part in that important legal battle. And, it was, of course, his National Review that inspired me to get involved in the conservative movement as a college student in the early 1960s.
Raymond J. LaJeunesse, Jr., Vice President & Legal Director, National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation 03/05 11:44 AM Hospitable and Engaging When I read the newspaper commentaries about Mr. Buckley by different authors I was stuck by the similarity of their praises for this amazing man. Everyone, from David Brooks to myself were in awe not only of his brilliance but also by the gracious way he welcomed you into his rarefied world.
Two years ago I was producing an independent documentary about New York in the 1950s and early 1960s. I asked Mr. Buckley if he would be kind enough to let me interview him on camera for my film. My interview with him took place in his glamourous Manhattan home. By his hospitality and his engagement you would have thought I was Charlie Rose. After the interview I received a couple of letters from him in
response to mine. They were always mailed. I was delighted to receive them.
The fact that he took the time to jot off a few quick letters to me and sign them "warm regards" did much to encourage me in the documentary field. Even though I did not know him very well he made me feel as if I did. I will miss him.
Dore Hammond
03/05 11:40 AM A Mass for his Generous Multi-Talented Soul Many of your writers make mention of the opportunity they had to meet Mr. Buckley. I lost out in that regard. He was on a cruise ship to Nova Scotia that stopped in Halifax a few years ago. But I, an octogenarian, was recovering from bypass surgery. How pleased I was, however, to read in one of his columns a short time later this line saying, "with the posssible exception of New Zealanders, Nova Scotians are the nicest people on this earth". It went a long way to make up for missing the opportunity to shake his hand as he stepped off the cruise ship. I so wanted to express my profound gratitude for providing me, in my case, with about forty years of National Review. Among other things, he would send me scurrying to my dictionary to search for a certain word which I sometimes felt he, with his impish smile, put there just for me. What can I do in response to the so much that he has provided me? Well, I offered Mass for his generous, multi-talented soul this morning praying that he will sail smoothly into that world of eternal amazement. Msgr. John R. Campbell 03/05 11:35 AM A Conduit of the Love of God As other readers have noted, one cannot but help feel completely inadequate to the task of honoring this man at the time of his passing given his unsurpassed gift for doing the same for others.
Reading Mr. Buckley’s columns and books, and watching many hours of Firing Line (the interview with Malcolm Muggeridge being my all-time favorite having made a significant contribution to my spiritual journey) provided me with both pleasure and instruction; observing this man’s historic achievements and joyful humanity provided me with inspiration. I believe, as I know Mr. Buckley did, that the purpose of man is to glorify God. The light that shone from him was not simply one of intellectual brilliance but even more importantly was a reflection of his Lord, Jesus Christ. I have read all of the remembrances of his friends and family in these pages, as well as the ones of those, like me, who never met him but have found themselves mourning his passing these last few days. In all of these remembrances what most stands out is that the man was a conduit of the love of God – he loved his family, his friends, his country, his work and co-workers, and spread that love beyond to a circle larger than he could ever possibly know.
I will never meet him now except in eternity, but look forward to one day thanking him in person for brightening my life and the life of our nation and the world with his incomparable wit, wisdom, grace and charm. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family, his seemingly countless friends and his co-laborers at National Review. There will never be another like him, and I look forward to re-watching those Firing Line episodes with my own four children some day (how do I get DVDs?). I don’t think R.I.P. is the appropriate ending to this – I don’t imagine Mr. Buckley resting in eternity, I imagine him enjoying the eternal presence of God with unsurpassed zest. I’m planning to sail the celestial seas with him one day – now THAT will be a cruise! Godspeed, sir.
Dan Hoey 03/05 11:33 AM A Remarkable Man In late October 1970 the Conservative Party statewide ticket concluded its campaign at Sunnyside Gardens Arena, Queens. Led by James Buckley, the Conservative Party candidate for United States Senator, we appeared on a platform that was normally a prizefighting ring. A large crowd was jubilant and reflected the anticipation of the imminent election of James Buckley in one of the greatest political upsets in New York State history.
The candidate for Lieutenant Governor, who had labored over his speech for weeks, began to deliver it. Suddenly, Bill Buckley appeared at the back of the arena. The crowd roared. Lost was attention to the candidate's talk. Bill came down the center aisle to a thunderous ovation. He climbed up to the platform and shook hands with the candidates and party officials. Then he did something that movingly epitomized this gentle man.
He went to the back of the dais and sat next to the candidate whose speech he had inadvertently interrupted. For the rest of the evening he deferred to this man, discreetly seeking his opinion, sharing witticisms with him, etc. Few in the audience probably noticed this consummately gentlemanly gesture. It so personified Bill Buckley.
I was lucky to be in his company a number of times over the years, the last at the celebration of his 80th birthday at the Pierre in 2006. His son Christopher served as program emcee and did a marvelous job of setting the stage for the ebullient praise that flowed that evening.
Bill Buckley was a great man. When you met him you felt that your appearance had singularly brightened his day. To be in his company was to be reminded of Jacques Barzun's observation that: "The finest achievement of human society and its rarest pleasure is Conversation".
What a guy.
Anthony Spinelli 03/05 11:24 AM When Death Touches the Mighty It was with greater than expected grief that I heard the news of William F. Buckley, Jr.’s death. I did not know the man personally, and being only 25 years old, I was witness only to his twilight years in the public eye. However, whatever there was available of his wisdom, I consumed it eagerly.
To see the gradual decline of one’s parents and personal friends is one thing; their availability to us allows us to see them in times of both strength and weakness. But to see that death touches even the mightiest among us is a bitter blow to the illusion, however comforting, that this world is anything other than a place of passage.
Lawrence Hamtil, Leawood, Kansas 03/04 03:59 PM I Shared his Affection for this Great Nation It is said that one can attract more flies with honey than vinegar. Mr. Buckley demonstrated that truism consistently for over five decades. Witnessing the world's head-long, stubborn rush toward self-destruction can warp a conservative's soul, causing a tendency to express only a vinegarized call to sanity. W.F.B generously marinaded the truth in sweetness. He replaced a scowl with a self-assured twinkling eye and wit.
This next Summer I will turn 60. I remember when there were so very, very few sources of cultural and political sanity available. William F. Buckley, Firing Line and National Review regularly and generously provided an oasis of truth in a sea of cultural insanity.
I am a Baptist pastor. Mr. Buckley a committed Roman Catholic. I grew up a farmer's child in northern Iowa, he a son of privilege. Yet when he gave voice to the self-evident principles which he so consistently championed, I felt there was someone who could finally articulate the convictions I knew to be true as well. Other than both being Americans, we shared very little in common. I never had the privilege of personally meeting Mr. Buckley, but I felt our affection for this great nation and opposition to those who would undermine it made us brothers. Rest in peace, my friend.
Rev. Ken W. Lewis Trinity Baptist Church, St. Paul, MN 03/04 03:52 PM WFB: The Historian His literary talents were, of course, legendary. But one aspect of his writing career that has been neglected thus far is that of historian. I remember reading The Fall of the Berlin Wall, a slim volume detailing the history and lore of the wall, and being impressed by Mr. Buckley's memorable descriptions of personalities and events that would not have been out of place in a work by Edward Gibbon. This book kindled my enthusiasm for Cold War-related topics, and I was disappointed to find how bland other author's works were by comparison. It would be an interesting imaginative exercise to consider what classics would have been produced by William F. Buckley the historian. As in all his works, he set an unreasonably high standard to which other writers could only aspire.
Richard Spillane, Heathsville, VA 03/04 03:42 PM Proud to Inherit As an 18-year-old, I can't say I have many memories of WFB. I'll never know how profoundly he has affected my life, but I do know that he sparked a movement which my classmates at Hillsdale College and I are proud to inherit. May choirs of angels welcome him to paradise.
Anna Williams 03/04 03:41 PM He Was a True Gentleman I was introduced to Mr. Buckley when I was 16 years of age through a book my Republican father gave me for my birthday. The pages made for elegant reading and I think that I have read all of WFB's works of non-fiction. I learned much, pondered long, and in the end became an independent voter, affixed to no particular party.
But this I will say, Mr. Buckley was a true gentleman. He was kind and generous, and never once can I think of an incident where he was tempted to thoughtless mean spiritedness. He taught me to listen, to ask questions and to make up my own mind.
Yes, Mr. Buckley was a true gentleman and we need men and women of decorum in this world so often filled with haste and violence. I shall truly miss him and wish him God's peace and loving kindness. 03/04 03:40 PM Rest in Peace I had sincerely hoped both he and I would live forever. Him so he could write it, and me so I could read it. I, like many, will miss his writing, intellect and humor. Rest in Peace.
Mike Arnold 03/04 03:40 PM "I remember his ability to think on his feet." While others remember his wit and humor, his grace, his seemingly effortless fluency, I remember his ability to think on his feet, sum up a situation and deliver a knockout blow just as the opponent was finishing a specious argument.
I wish someone could find this video, because I gasped when I saw it live. Early eighties, WFB is on the Today show (I think) debating a Soviet apologist, Joe Adamov. (I understand he was a news commentator for Radio Moscow for years. I never listened to Radio Moscow, so I can’t say.) At any rate, to bolster his argument about how wonderful the Soviet system is, Adamov pointed to the sacrifices Russia made during WWII when about 20 million Russians died fighting the Nazis.
I can’t remember the exact phraseology, but Buckley’s reply went something like this: “The world appreciates the genuine bravery and the sacrifices made by the Russian people at that time. However, I submit to you that those 20 million dead were 20 million that Joseph Stalin did not have to kill in his purges.” 03/04 03:38 PM WFB and Alan Ginsburg I always loved Firing Line, especially because unlike any number of interviers (David Frost comes to mind), Buckley always remembered that he was not the star of the interview. He also had a great sense of humor. Once, when he had Alan Ginsburg on, Ginsburg started to do his Krishna chanting. Buckley, looking bemused, waited about 30 seconds, and then cautioned "Mr. Ginsburg, if you continue carrying on like this I may be forced to ask you to read some more of your poetry." Priceless.
Rich DiNardo 03/04 03:36 PM Thank You for Both the Challenge and the Guide I started reading National Review shortly after its first year of publication, and have been a steady subscriber since. WFB truly launched, with NR, the Conservative movement as a coherent voice in American (and world) politics. I have read most of what he wrote, watched Firing Line, and can only be grateful for his life and for what he left us with at his departure.
Several years ago he visited the Western Washington University campus, where I am on staff, as one in a series of "Distinguished Lecturers." He was, of course, the only conservative to appear in a progression of left and far-left speakers. His presentation, to a completely packed house, was vintage Buckley. But what I remember most was the manifest discomfort, nervousness and loss for words that our university president displayed while introducing him. His gallant and kind response conveyed volumes about him and "the movement," and I suspect successfully challenged the stereotypical image that many in the audience had about Buckley and conservatism. At the reception afterward I fulfilled my long-felt hope of meeting the man, found him to be as heartwarming and genuine in person as on the printed page or TV, and I treasure his autograph on my NR 1st Edition facsimile.
Thank you, Mr. Buckley, for what you did for us, for the challenges you have left us, and for the roadmap you have provided for us as we strive to deal with those challenges. RIP
Warren B. Howe, MD, Bellingham, WA
03/04 02:40 PM A Letter in My College Years I didn't have the opportunity to meet William F. Buckley, Jr., but in the late 1970s, when I was a college student, I received a letter from him. The occasion was the annual NR fund appeal. I wrote to Mr. Buckley and explained that I was a college student and could not afford to contribute, but expressed what the magazine meant to me. He wrote a letter to me. I have misplaced it, but it said something to the effect: "Never mind contributing to our deficiency. Take from National Review what you can; it is edited for the likes of you." What a kind man. We will miss him.
Judge David R. Duggan, Maryville, TN 03/04 02:37 PM A Few Memories Regarding the death of William F. Buckley, Jr., a few observations (sorry, couldn’t resist). They’re all personal—of his historical importance, I’ll just say that, as between him and Reagan on their importance to the good guys winning the Cold War and turning the tide against socialism-lite at home, I think it’s a close call.
1. Those whose deaths we grieve fall into three categories: immediate family, close friends, and people we have never met. John Donne to the contrary notwithstanding, think how few there are in that third category. There is no one in that category whose death I expect to feel more keenly, and I think that is true of many conservatives.
2. Particularly conservatives of a certain age. I’m 52. For someone like me, growing up in the 1960s, Buckley was the one and only. It is still the case that, when I write, and—especially—when I speak publicly, I think of him, and what he would do and say. It will always be that way.
3. John Miller and I have talked about this (he’s younger than I, though, I hasten to add). After John started to work at NR, I called him one day and asked him if he could arrange for me to meet WFB somehow. I wanted to shake his hand before … well, before what happened today happened. And so I did get to meet the great man and, of course, he was just as charming and gracious as everyone today says in his or her remembrance. 03/04 02:35 PM The Greatest Professor of All I am a 54 yr old Southern Baptist Preacher living just south of Camden,SC in Sumter. When my father died in 1994 he had all the back issues of NR, and he and I had read them all. My favorite way was to start at the back and read to the front. I have four earned degrees and have sat under professors from all the major universities, but WFB, Jr was the greatest professor of all. Without a doubt he will be remembered by history as one of the top 10 most influential persons of the 20th century. His two sailing books alone would rank him among our top English authors. He simply knew what he believed, why he believed it, and why his belief was the best response to all the evidence at hand. R.I.P. 03/04 02:32 PM Bush Remarked: "When he [Buckley] attended Yale he wrote a book. When I was there ... I read one." I remember watching the Al Smith Dinner on television in 2000. Al Gore and George W. Bush were both in attendance. Bush thanked WFB for the invitation and remarked: "When he [Buckley] attended Yale he wrote a book. When I was there ... I read one."
I never met WFB and I am the poorer for that. But his thoughts and works were so — everywhere — that I feel like I knew him a bit. I found an old copy of "God and Man at Yale" through Amazon a couple of years ago (price marked $3.50 on the tattered dust jacket) and I hoped that maybe somehow, some day I could get his autograph on it. It never happened of course but I still treasure the book for its content. From what I was able to learn about WFB through television, National Review, his newspaper columns (syndicated in the Chicago Daily News when I was in high school in the 60s), and his books he was just about everything good a person could be - smart, influential, religious, generous, deeply concerned about his country... I marvel at how blessed the good old USA is by the size of the Buckley family - a testament to his unselfishness nature among other things. A little of Bill lives on in his many children, grandchildren and siblings. We should surely thank God for that.
Edward J. Murphy, Chicago, Illinois 03/04 02:30 PM The Father of My Political Thought Thank you for giving me a forum to express my gratitude for the life of William F. Buckley, although I don't really know how I can express in words what he meant to me. With the exception of my father and my religion, the writings of WFB were the most influential in shaping my political thought. I can still recall the Christmas morning my father presented me with my subscription to National Review. I read it three times, I would read "From the Right" first, followed by his witty responses to those who wrote the letters to the editor. In order to avoid offending either my father or my father in law, I named my first born son after me, and then the father of my political thought (thus, Christopher Buckley Isaac)....I was too embarrassed to tell him that the day I met him at Harvard, but I wanted my son to understand where I was coming from, and I thought of no better way to do that than to remind him whenever he writes his name of his forbearers, both in body and in thought.
God Bless WFB...my best to his family.
Chris Isaac, San Diego 03/04 02:25 PM Continuing the Good Fight I was a freshman at Amherst College and found myself defending what I thought were our nation's basic tenets. A liberal friend of mine said, "You're just repeating what you read in National Review!" I thought, "This 'National Review' must be a wonderful magazine!" It was and is.
Thanks, Mr. Buckley, and thanks National Review for continuing to fight the good fight.
David F. Hubbard, Riverside, CA 03/04 02:20 PM An Inspiration to Live More Fully WFB’s death weighs heavily. The pleasure he brought us with his books, columns and television appearances is irreplaceable. From time to time when you would read about all he has done or was doing, it would provide a needed shot of inspiration to try to do more yourself: read more, ski more, live more.
An anecdote: In college at Notre Dame in the 80’s my roommate and I founded a conservative magazine. National Review, without any request or even any notice (at least from us), published a blurb on our magazine which not only helped our fundraising, but more importantly made us all feel great. I remember the faculty circulating the idea that WFB had spearheaded and funded this insurrection. I recall how comical we used to find that. But in retrospect, of course, the faculty were at least half right. Without WFB, we would never have worked so hard to accomplish what we did. While I never met or spoke to him, I will certainly miss WFB.
Ed Yevoli, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 03/03 11:43 AM In Memoriam How sad.
the passing of years see my heroes take their leave,
now William F. Buckley Jr. joins their rolls,
"a hero?" you ask,
"of course!" I reply,
the only man of substance,
other than Ronald Reagan,
who compelled a young man,
a nation,
fraught with insidious compunction,
to ascend summits insurmountable,
through sheer force of eloquence,
and intractable equanimity.
In Memoriam, Harry Vann Phillips, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Poet, Writer, Soldier (retired) 03/03 11:41 AM Contrast in Style Two interviews on Firing Line have always stuck in my mind. The first was with Howard Cossell. Mr. Buckley & Mr. Cossell kept elevating their vocabularies to levels that sent English professors reaching for their dictionaries.
The second was with Muhammad Ali. Mr. Buckley tried to put Mr. Ali at ease by using simple language. Mr. Buckley spoke with Mr. Ali, not to him or down to him.
The world has lost a most remarkable man.
Fred Calhoun 03/03 11:39 AM Hard to Imagine Another Like Him I’m 57, and first came across WFB when I was 14. The book was “The Jeweler’s Eye”, and it was instrumental in instilling two things in me: one, a love of language that has lasted all my life (I went on to become a language/linguistics teacher), and two, a BS Dectector. The BS Detector came into being by reading and listening to WFB. It enabled me early on to cut more quickly through the BS and get to the essence, be it Right, Left, or Center. To paraphrase Jay Nordlinger in his tribute on this website, he didn’t teach me WHAT to think, but rather HOW to think.
While an SDSer in the Sixties, I picked up “National Review”, and discovered, among others, Frank S. Meyer, Hugh Kenner, and Guy Davenport, who would become my long-distance mentor for nearly a decade.
It has only been in the past few years I have come to see how deeply I was influenced by this man, even though I didn’t share many of his ideas. I continued to read him, and when I needed to clarify some current political question, I’d go online to get his take on it.
I only met him once, c. 1971, after a speech he gave in California: a handshake, a book signed, and a “Good question, by the way”, refering to a question I had asked. Half a dozen letters: I have the impression that he answered every letter that he ever received.
It is hard to think of someone who has had this kind of influence in our time, and who touched so many people. And its even harder to imagine that we will see anyone like this in the future.
Richard Laubly, Paris, France 03/03 11:36 AM Fair Winds, WFB No one, perhaps, has had more influence on my social and political thinking than William F. Buckley, Jr.
Like others, I remember his robust command of the English language and rapier wit. I recall reading (ala Notes and Asides) a letter written by someone who was upset by something WFB had written and promised to never again touch an issue of “that bi-monthly rag”. Buckley replied that he resented his NR being called a bi-monthly rag….“it is a fortnightly rag”, he corrected. Touché.
There was, of course, National Review – and his spy novels and opinion columns – but the works I loved best were his sailing journals. In them, he seemed to present a sublime sense of the transcendental life of both ancient and eternal mariner.
When the history of our last century is definitively written, some ages hence, I believe it will record that the Tyranny of the Vicariously Compassionate was held at bay, in large measure, by the sheer will of this intellectual giant. Fair winds, WFB.
Charles Bryant, Tulsa, OK 03/03 11:28 AM A Steady Source of Inspiration Like any good soldier of a worthy cause, William F. Buckley, Jr. met his end at his post doing, to my mind, what good soldiers do: Championing his cause.
I first came to understand and appreciate the conservative view point by reading Buckley when I was in college. Looking back now, I chuckle at the change that I underwent as I watched, along with the rest of America, the undoing of the national economy and the quagmire we faced with the hostage situation in Iran. Toward the beginning of 1980 I had become a confirmed Reaganite and gloried in his victory over Jimmy Carter that November. The National Review has been a steady source of inspiration to me ever since. It is a thinking man's publication created by a thinking man. I can only hope that the people who contribute to it now and in the future will continue to keep it so.
Gil Davis, Smyrna, Georgia 03/03 11:26 AM A Better Conservative, a Better Catholic Bill, you are responsible for my love of Bach and his harpsichord works. You have made me a better Catholic, a better conservative, a better thinker, and a most importantly a better person.
Thank you for all you have meant to me and my family, We will miss you dearly, God bless you and your family.
Chris Jones, Winchester, MA 03/03 11:24 AM An American Original Upon learning of the passing of FDR, Winston Churchill remarked that Roosevelt had "died in harness". This was the first thought that came to my mind when I heard the sad news of WFB's passing: that he had died in harness, at his desk, no doubt pen in hand, formulating his unique prose that would leave me happily scrambling for my dictionary.
I will still look forward to each new issue of National Review gracing my mailbox; never in doubt as to the wit, style, and insight of its content. But something will be missing, and sadly it is irreplaceable. WFB was an American original and we are all the better for having known him, even the many of us who were never so fortunate as to meet him.
Ted Warren, Loudoun County, VA 03/02 10:25 PM He Served God Powerfully I met WFB twice in my life, in 1970 and 1983. A remark of his on the first occasion was formative for me. Asked during a conversation with a group of YAFfers to differentiate the possession of nuclear arms by the U.S.S.R. from the possession of nuclear arms by the U.S., he replied: "You can push an old woman into the path of an oncoming bus. Or you can push an old woman out of the path of an oncoming bus. In both cases you are Pushing an Old Woman." That remark, and so many others in his writings and on "Firing Line," taught me that expressing important truths baldly and simply is a great public service. Communists murder people. Statism, even short of Communism, is theft, poverty, slavery, and boredom. Freedom is good. WFB taught me where to look for justice and real progress—almost never to the state, always to what makes men free. A faithful Catholic, WFB served God powerfully by making the case for these truths in a century when few clerics could or would.
Fr. Vincent Fitzpatrick, Fargo, North Dakota 03/02 10:23 PM Inspiring Personality Many years ago, I had the privilege to meet Mr. William F. Buckley Jr. in person at Cuzco, Peru, during one of Mr. Buckley working journeys across South America. At the time I was editor of the town newspaper, not the best of times for practicing journalism in Peru. Day by day, we were suffering, the harassment of censors under a left-leaning military dictatorship. Mr. Buckley was full aware of this. His keen advice, encouragement, and inspiring character, became priceless to me, throughout those troubled hours. I shall remain forever grateful for his close involvement with my personal and professional pledge and shall never forget him.
My sincere condolences to his family and staff members of National Review. César Lomellini 03/02 10:18 PM A Legendary Intellect, the Kindest of Men I had written to Mr. Buckley several times over the years, and he graciously responded. One year, he invited me to a reception at his New York apartment. Despite the fact that I am no one from nowhere, he treated me as if I were at least as important as the other guests, all of whom were distinguished in a variety of fields. Millions realized that he was a legendary intellect; those who met him knew that he was one of the kindest men in the world. Even now, he and Mrs. Buckley are receiving the reward for thier goodness. For this, we rejoice and thank God for the gifts they were to us, but this world is impoverished by losing them.
Fr. James Patrick Galivan, Archdiocese of Chicago 03/02 10:15 PM A Remarkably Gracious Man It was the late 1960's and my parents were hosting a cocktail party at our home on Long Island for James Buckley, who was running for the State Senate of New York. Brother Bill was running late and everyone was abuzz with the anticipation of his arrival, which I caught on camera as he came dashing breathlessly down our driveway, scooting in the front door, through our house, and out onto the back porch to deliver his words on behalf of his brother. When the festivities were over, James Buckley had other promises to keep, but, wonder of wonders, Bill Buckley cheerily agreed to join us and several of my parents' friends at dinner. I was in my early 20's and thoroughly star-struck, having idolized William F. Buckley, Jr. since my high school days as a member of YAF. I never expected him to actually SPEAK to me, after all I was just the daughter and surely of no possible interest to him. I was fully prepared to hover somewhere in the background and worship from afar. And yet there he suddenly was, standing next to me, asking me about myself and about my fiancee who was in the Merchant Marine. Not only that, he was actually interested, kind, and attentive. I always wanted people to know that about him—that he was such a warm and friendly man, a man so gracious as to make me feel that, insignificant as I was, what I had to say was of acute interest to him.
Godspeed!
Beverly M. Squires 03/02 10:12 PM Buckley Over Coffee I always refer to that first cup-of-the-day as my matutinal coffee ever since WFB introduced me to that happy term many years ago. It’s one of those words that brings a smile.
Marguerite Duncan, Oregon 03/02 10:09 PM Made the Intellectual Supremely Enjoyable I can remember countless times coming to the end of a paragraph, page, or chapter in WFB’s writing and simply laughing out loud at the sheer genius of the content. A few times I even cried. But the mischievous, poignant, and almost artistic delivery gave me a surreal enjoyment not unlike the possibility of getting all one’s nutrients from chocolate mousse pie. Eagerly I would thumb back to the beginning and reread the same selection again as a child rushing back around to ride his favorite amusement park ride. Bill made the intellectual supremely enjoyable, impressing upon me the importance of literacy and western thought from a young age, and he helped me shape an internal framework of ideals rooted in individualism. I thank God for sending us this great and good man for such a time as was his. May we have the fortitude and presence of mind to continue in his legacy.
Jeff Bower 03/02 10:04 PM "He truly changed the world for the better and did it with such joyful zest." When I look at the accomplishments of William F. Buckley, I feel as significant as a gnat. How could one man accomplish so much? He truly changed the world for the better and did it with such joyful zest. His generosity and kindness are mentioned by all who knew him. His is a perfect example of a life well-lived. We owe him so much. There will never be another like him. Rest in peace, Mr. Buckley.
Rob Lipsey, Brownsburg, IN 03/02 10:01 PM A Magnanimous and Erudite Man Deepest condolences to you and God Bless Bill Buckley for a life robustly lived. I had the good fortune to be in his presence back in 2002 at a fundraiser for Father George Rutler’s parish, it was clear to me that he was both a magnanimous and erudite man who I wish I would have had the opportunity to know much better.
A brief WFB anecdote- At that fundraiser for the Church of our Savior (Larry Kudlow was also in attendance), Father Rutler introduced Mr. Buckley to the assembled guests, paying the highest possible praise one could actually bequeath to a man, even going so far to say that we should carve the image and likeness of WFB into Mount Rushmore. WFB returned the compliment to Fr. Rutler by deadpanning that one of Father Rutler’s greatest gifts was his penchant for hyperbole- it was a vintage good-natured WFB rebuttal.
WFB’s legacy is an enormous one, and we must carry forth the principles and precepts that he rescued out of the darkness. May National Review continue on as the conservative movement’s beacon, and may the memory of Bill’s lust for life remind us how we should go about our days on earth- with great joy and aplomb.
Vince Mariano, Boca Raton, FL 03/02 10:00 PM A Favorite WFB story... ...is about the waiter who complained to him about using big words in National Review. He saw the waiter again about a year later, who asked "How come you stopped using all the big words?" Of course, WFB explained, no such thing had occurred — it was simply that the waiter's vocabulary had vastly expanded from the year's reading. 03/02 09:58 PM He Gave Mobility to the Conservative Movement My admiration of Bill Buckley began in the 1960s when, as a grad student, I joined YAF and ISI and began subscribing to NR. Soon, I was watching Firing Line on a regular basis, and I noticed that when he was about to make a telling point in his debate with an opponent, he would adopt a wry smile and have a sparkle in his eyes. I will always picture him that way.
I had been a conservative long before I became aware of WFB, but he made it possible for conservatives to become acquainted and mobilized. I still am a member of ISI, and the last time I saw him in person was at the 50th Anniversary celebration of that organization.
His influence will be felt for generations to come.
A mighty oak has fallen. My condolences to his family and to the staff of National Review.
Byron C. Hall, Jr., Centerville, Ohio
03/02 09:57 PM Glimpse of a Fine Mind My first encounter with Mr. Buckley (I could never quite bring myself to call him "Bill" despite his polite suggestions; kind of like calling God, as some people do, "The Big Guy"), was on 24 June 1986 at the celebration of the publication of Christopher's first book "The White House Mess". I was 3 years out of St. John's Law School and an anomaly of different sorts. Indeed, my avid conservatism was frequently at odds with every attorney with whom I merely discussed current events to the point where it was actually imperiling my employment. If I recall correctly, the soiree was organized by the N.Y. Conservative Party of which I was a gleeful new member. Mr. Buckley arrived at the hotel dining room with his ubiquitous clipboard sans implement. I timely offered him mine as I was in close proximity, having inched closer and closer to be in his aura and perhaps hear what he was saying privately to the partisans. He noticeably balked when he noticed that it was a Cross pen and started to refuse it on the ground that it was much too valuable a risk. I was saddened knowing that I would have given it to him for posterity without him even having to ask. But upon my rejoinder he used it for the evening at the end of which he placed it inside his jacket or the top of the clipboard, I forget which. There was absolutely no way that I was going to ask for the return of the pen even though it was always dear to me and now was destined to be a keepsake. Christopher actually reminded him to return it which permitted me an opportunity to engage Mr. Buckley one on one in some routine conversational pleasantries about pens, lawyers, French wines, and the Metro-North schedule (I was living on East 50 Street about 5 doors west of Lutece and hadn't the foggiest idea of the latter).
About three years later I finally got to the head of a long line at a book signing at a Lower Broadway bookstore for "On the Firing Line". I handed Mr. Buckley my Cross pen to use to sign the inside of the front cover. He looked at it, then at me, and with a knowing smile, said "So, I see you're still carrying this valuable pen!" I was speechless, having resolved earlier in the afternoon not to even attempt the foolhardy notion of reminding him of our first encounter. It was then that I discovered a little something of the foundation of the magnificent mind with which God had blessed him.
Charles J. Jannace III, Salisbury, MD 03/02 09:55 PM Nearer than Ever Before He was great not only for how he changed the nation and even the world for the better, but also for how many individuals were changed for the better as well.
The year was 1987 and I was a sophomore in high school in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. Somehow I happened to watch an episode of Firing Line and was introduced to the world of WFB. The school library had been stocked in the ‘70’s and included Inveighing We Will Go. From that I became aware of National Review. With neither the school nor the town library subscribing to it how was one to even find the address, in that pre-internet age, of the subscription office? I sent a stamped envelope, with a note asking for a subscription card for National Review, to the address given for transcripts at the end of each Firing Line and hoped for the best. There was no reason to suspect that whoever mailed out transcripts had anything to do with National Review, but some kind soul sent back a precious business reply card. After mowing the neighbor’s yard several times for some money, the card was put to good use.
That was more than half a life time ago, and how blessed I was to have chanced upon WFB. It was only a week ago that I finished reading Nearer, My God for the first time. No doubt he is now more than near.
David Lewis 03/02 09:52 PM Inspired to Serve It is especially touching to me that William F. Buckley's passing should come while I was serving in Iraq. My being here is in great measure because of inspiration I received from his philosophy and vision of the God-given right to liberty, and the understanding of America's role in the world. It restored my confidence in America, delivered with clarity and sense of mission. One of his many life's works, National Review, has become an inspiring part of my life. I will sincerely miss his "On the Right" column, which was a warm and sensible review of the most important issues. Rest in peace, Mr. Buckley.
Hugh M. Nelson 03/02 09:48 PM Memory from His Final NR Cruise It was with a profound sense of loss and sadness that I read of William F. Buckley's death on Wednesday morning.
I thought to myself, why such sorrow for someone I hardly knew personally? From the many condolences and thoughts that have poured forth the last three days the reason became clearer — still difficult to express, but clearer. It was his passion for right ideas, the English language, and freedom manifested in a defense of limited government and the free market. But it also was his personal qualities — his intellect, energy, accomplishment, grace, humility, wit, generosity, and his ability to make friends and be a friend, the latter of which were legendary. It is rare indeed for all of those qualities to exist in one person.
My first encounter with WFB was when I was about 12 years old (circa 1970). I walked into our living room on a Saturday afternoon while my dad was watching Firing Line, and there on the screen was this man with a clipboard and pen in his hands, rumpled hair, and a very narrow (early 1960's style) necktie, sort of cockeyed. [Remember, by 1970 ties had become very wide and garish.] I asked, "Who is that?" to which my dad replied, "That's William F. Buckley, the conservative columnist." I thought to myself, "Oh, so
that's how you can tell he's a conservative — he's wearing that really skinny tie." Well, I sat down and listened and started to understand what "conservative" really meant. Over the next formative years I read his column and watched some Firing Lines and learned a few big words and a lot of big ideas. During my surgical residency in the mid- to late 1980's I would hurry home from Saturday morning conference and rounds to join my wife in watching — in Fred Friendly's terms — that "overeducated, overachieving swashbuckling dude sling poison arrows at his guests" on Firing Line. Then, almost 20 years ago, we started subscribing to National Review. We suspected it would be good, but what we didn't expect was the caliber of the writing on a wide range of topics, not merely on politics and economics. It became our guide to books, art, music, and film. Plus, it was very funny. This was all under the leadership of a remarkable editor who set the tone for the whole enterprise...he knew there was more to conservatism than politics and economics and he knew that humor was a key ingredient. Through the years I sent him an occasional letter about a topic of interest and he always replied (a common experience, from reading the tributes by other NR readers). It was our privilege to sail with Mr. Buckley on what appears to have been his final NR cruise in November of 2006. We had settled in to our stateroom and when we walked out the door the only person in the hallway was WFB himself, in his yachting cap, lost and looking for his room. We were struck by how tall he was and, sadly, that he was looking old (he was 80). We pointed him in the right direction and then introduced ourselves. He introduced himself (as if that were necessary). The next morning, we tried to find open seats on the main level of the auditorium for the first panel discussion but none were to be had, so we walked upstairs to the balcony. WFB was sitting up there, saw us walk in, and motioned for us to come sit
with him. As he did so he said, "Come on up here...Chad." How did he remember my name from that brief introduction the evening before? We sat there with him and listened to the speakers and exchanged some remarks. It was like sitting with your dad. It was wonderful merely to be in his company. We feel as if we have lost a close friend. My wife, Kim joins me in extending our condolences to Christopher, the entire Buckley family, and the National Review family for their loss. May the Lord give eternal rest to this great man.
Chad Davis, Indianapolis, Indiana 03/02 09:46 PM From a Godson A strange twist of fate gave me the immense fortune to have had William F. Buckley as my Godfather. On the day I was Christened in Vancouver, Canada the Godfather who had been chosen by my mother fell suddenly ill. Not wanting to alter the plans (or a good party) my mother put out a house to house search for another unsuspecting Catholic sucker. Pat Buckley was a very old friend of our family and was in Vancouver with Bill visiting her family. He stepped, unwillingly I suspect, but with grace into the role of Godfather and for many years never forgot a birthday.
He was always so generous to me when I came to visit in New York and Connecticut and Switzerland. I will cherish the evenings listening to him playing the harpsichord and giving me advice or more importantly taking an interest in my life.
While at University in California, I asked Bill if he would come and speak about Conservatism to the College. He agreed and I had the great honour to introduce him in front of the congregation of students an a throng of local Conservatives. I still have a copy of my introduction which I delivered whilst trembling in his greatness.
Sadly, we lost touch during the 1990s when I moved to Europe and it seemed every time I was in New York on business he was travelling.
I shall count my fortune, however to have seen him last October on a trip to New York. I rang his office at short notice and invited him to join me for lunch. Less than an hour later his office called and said he was coming into New York to see me and wanted to take me to my beloved New York Yacht Club for lunch. Even though he was very sick he made the effort to see me which I will never forget. We spoke and laughed for an hour and a half about everything from sailing to his planned book on Ronnie Reagan. I will cherish that hour and a half forever.
My sincere condolences to Chisto, all the NR staff who he adored and all Conservatives worldwide who have been so fortunate to have made his association. A great loss to us all.
Bill if you get this message please give Aunt Pat a kiss for me.
Mark MacLean 03/02 09:38 PM A Genuine Care for People Bill had a heart for people and the gift of making and keeping friends. I was privileged that he called me a friend from the early 1970's on.
He had a genuine care for people–and the personal humility that made that possible. He never acted as though he were someone special. He acted as though you were someone special. He treated a young, idealist nobody from Oregon as though I was special. Here's a bit from one of his letters to me:
I spent an evening and a day with Malcolm [Muggeridge] as recently as last December, and think him very special.
He is coming to New York to do a Firing Line with me in a couple of weeks. It pleases me hugely that he thinks well of me, though no more than it pleases me that you do. (April 27, 1979)
Bill consistently encouraged me in my faith and desire to serve the Lord. He even offered to write a letter of recommendation for me to a graduate program in theology at a top evangelical school. I took him up on it, and one of my treasured possessions is the copy he sent me of that recommendation.
His passing is a loss to the nation, his family, friends and admirers, and to me. I loved Bill Buckley.
C. S. Lewis once wrote that the passing of a friend is a bit like losing a leg. It may not hurt so much after the amputation, but no more mountain walks. I'm already missing those mountain walks.
Terri Williams
03/02 09:36 PM A Well Rounded Example Mr. Buckley's life reinforced the goal I have to raise well rounded children. Faith, service, intelligence, patience, wit, and a large appetite for a life fully lived. Thank you for the example my children will one day learn of.
David Rose, St. Louis, MO 03/02 09:30 PM An Example for the Generations I grew up an old school Catholic Democrat, one of seven kids, whose family was really conservative but did not know it. National Review and his books helped shaped my feelings into a political philosophy in my young twenties, and i came to marvel of WFB's intellect, stories, and magazine.
Although my dream of attending an NR cruise with WFB won't materialize, my 8 year old son and I will one day read National Review together, as well as watch archived episodes of Firing Line online, so that he can "meet" this great influence on my life.
Joe Malvezzi, Austin Tx 03/02 09:21 PM A Beacon of Sanity When I was a young man growing up in Massachusetts during the seventies, WFB was a beacon of sanity and hope in a world of socialism and nihlism. I remember watching him on Firing Line, which then led me to subscribe to The National Review. He introduced me to the wonderful world of conservatism and helped give me the intellectual tools to understand the liberal dogma and mindset that ruled my world back in the day. I was then fortunate enough to meet Ronald Reagan in 1980 and things only got better. I never met WFB but I already miss him terribly.
I have been explaing to friends for the past few days what a tremendous man WFB was. There were many nights that I read WFB's books during quiet times-I just finished Nearer to God. His faith was inspiring.
God bless you Mr. Buckley. I have no doubt that you are with the Lord and I hope that we can all meet someday in God's mansion that has many rooms.
John R. Teixeira, Charlottesville, Va. 03/02 09:12 PM An Invaluable Movement My first rememberences are, as many, with Firing Line. I then subscribed to National Review sometime in the early eighties with no real thought of participating in the political process. For some reason, I have never been able to throw away a single issue for the last twenty plus years, a fun fact to share with my left-leaning legislative colleagues. The movement he spawned keeps me on track, and each issue of NR feels like coming home. Senator Eugene S. Clarke, Mississippi State Senate, District 22 03/02 09:07 PM A Summer with NR I first picked up National Review at the age of 16 and haven’t looked back since. In those days, there was nothing – and I mean nothing – that presented a coherent conservative point of view on contemporary events, certainly not one with wit and panache. Bill Buckley changed all that, gave us a voice, started a movement, and changed the world. Fortunately, I also got to know the great man personally, for I was National Review’s summer editorial assistant after my junior year in college, in the summer of 1972. I did gopher work, helped put the magazine together, drafted short editorials, and, most important, attended all of the editorial sessions. Buckley poured the coffee for everyone, and, after Bill Rusher summarized the (always precarious) financial state of the enterprise, presided over what pieces to run and what editorials to write. He parceled them out to everyone, including me, and we scurried away to start drafting. Not much of my drafts made it past Bill’s famous red pen, but I didn’t mind. We were The Change, The Movement, and we knew it. We will never see the likes of Bill Buckley again. R.I.P.
David Condit, McLean, Virginia 03/02 08:59 PM A Goodly Heritage Mr. Buckley was in every sense my political tutor and mentor, that is if one can call someone with whom one has no personal relationship in the physically present sense a mentor.
At at time when girls my age were "gaga" over Donny Osmond, I had what can only be described as a crush on Mr. Buckley and turned down dates in those pre-VCR, pre-TIVO days to watch Firing Line. His reading list became my reading list, and I was educated. Through him I was introduced to Whittaker Chambers, Hayek, Malcolm Muggeridge, Dorothy Sayers and a host of others. Indeed, my marriage is connected to Bill Buckley—he was at the University of South Carolina for a Firing Line program (a "Star Wars" debate panel); a young man I was dating knew me to be a fan and managed through connections and sheer audaciousness to smuggle me into the invitation-only reception afterward. He buttonholed Mr. Buckley for me as he was slipping out. Notwithstanding what must have been an unwelcome detour, Mr. Buckley was unfailingly gracious, brightening as I avoided the debate topic and chatted instead about Blackford Oakes. He gave every indication, from the time spent conversing and the attention he bestowed, that the diversion was not only not unwelcome but pleasant. The young man's actions that night so raised him in my estimation we engaged not long after. One of my treasured birthday gifts from this husband is a Buckley campaign pin from his New York mayoral campaign and an excellent copy of The Unmaking of a Mayor.
My condolences to his family and those privileged to know him personally. (And I trust they do not find it presumptuous of those of us who did not know him as they did to express such keen senses of connection and profound sense of loss.) Surely Psalm 16:6 captures his life: "The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage." And for those of us who have access to his work, we have a goodly heritage as well.
Nancy Barkman Rights 03/02 07:36 PM Wonderful Humor, Flashing Insight As a teen in the mid-1980s, I wanted to meet and visit with WFB more than any man on earth, living or dead. It was his genius and sensibility. It was his understanding of human nature and the human condition. It was his understanding that to destroy and distort and prevent and take is so much easier than to create and build and allow and give. That's why he and I hated the Communists and why we love Liberty and are true to her. My mother met him at after a speech in about 1990 and held forth my 10 year old brother, saying, "he's a big fan!" to which WFB said - and picture his wry face and toothy grin - "What about you?" She adored him, her modest cover blown.
He is the ultimate voice of personal responsibility, of the depth and art of meaningful morality - sometimes gray but often black and white, and he expressed the difference superbly - and of wonderful humor and flashing insight.
On a scale of 100 for sheer uniqueness, meaningful charisma and contribution to what the classical liberal thinkers and Founding Fathers started, which is only the most important codification of ideas man has ever wrought, WFB was a 99.5. We have to assume that in Bill's world, perfection is reserved for the afterlife.
H.B. Neel, Rochester, MN 03/02 07:33 PM Basic Buckley I write to lament the passing of William F. Buckley.
For hundreds of thousands of young as well as older Americans during the difficult years of the cold war and neo-liberalism, Bill Buckley showed everyone what conservatism is. He not only demonstrated its intellectual basis but also built practical outlets to the philosophy itself, first via his book God and Man at Yale, then by the magazine National Review and then the hit series, Firing Line on television. As a fourteen year old I knew there just had to be more to "politics" than the evening news. One night I discovered Firing Line. I was mesmerized and never missed the program for perhaps a decade. I would often order the transcript of the shows to study the point-counterpoint exchanges. Soon I discovered that the strange speaking Yankee who was so very, very logical also had a magazine. In college, whenever National Review arrived, I would immediately spend the next two hours intently analyzing it.
Buckley founded Young Americans for Freedom (YAF). During the Vietnam War, I became a chapter chairman while a student at UNC Charlotte. One of my life's highlights was attending the tenth anniversary of YAF at Buckley's home in Sharon, Connecticut.
Because of Bill Buckley, most of the conservative movement is conscious of the distinction between traditional conservatism and libertarianism. Buckley was basically a fusionist who understood the Burkian foundations of contemporary conservatism.
There are hundreds of Buckley quotes. One, where I think he quotes another in defining conservatism, is: "Conservatism is the paradigm of essences towards which the phenomenology of the world is in continuing approximation." It is humorous but expresses the traditionalist view of conservatism's basic grasp of Truth and how Truth will triumph ultimately.
Every time I am fortunate enough to speak to groups of young people I emphasize a Buckley truth: You must develop an understanding of your own political philosophy. Conservatism correctly understood, emphasizes individual human freedom while balancing the cultural norms of family, faith and governmental structures in tension with that freedom. The emasculation of freedom in an effort to "help" everyone is Federalism gone awry and is the error of liberalism. The emasculation of the cultural norms is an effort to deify freedom and is the error of libertarianism. To hold the balance as the "essence" which will prevail is a belief that God will direct the course of human endeavor to a righteous conclusion and is the conservative merger of philosophy into faith, thus eschatological in its outcome.
Basic Buckley.
He, himself, said we stand on the shoulders of giants. Now that he is gone, it will be ever more clear that William Buckley is one of the greatest of the giants.
David L. Thomas 03/02 07:10 PM This Was a Man I would like to express my profound grief and my sincere condolences to the Buckley family and to all at National Review on the loss of William F. Buckley. In this age in which we suffer from a dearth of heroes, I’ve had few beyond my own father. One was Mr. Buckley. I’ve read his magazine. I’ve read his books. I’ve watched his show. I’ve learned from them all. His wit, wisdom, and intelligence were inspirational. He made one proud to be a conservative. I’ve also watched how he lived life. Perhaps I learned the most from that. When my father died, we incorporated this quote into his eulogy for the words seemed to sum up my father’s life: “His life was gentle; and the elements so mixed in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, This was a man!” (Act V, Scene V Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar) Mark Anthony was speaking of the death of Brutus—“the noblest Roman of them all.” Although it is not a perfect analogy, I believe these words are also an apt eulogy for Mr. Buckley.
May God welcome him into heaven with a “Well done, good and faithful servant.” and may he rest in peace having earned our love, admiration and gratitude for a life well lived.
Kathleen Houlahan 03/02 07:04 PM A Sad Loss With Mr. Buckley's passing, I lost a man intelligent enough to articulate ideas and ideals I only felt; passionate enough to engage the public; and, witty enough to make us all smile.
Russ Winstanley, Roanoke, VA 03/02 07:01 PM Cordially, WFB -- God rest his immortal soul. Men, born in faith, will still persistently seek out separate proofs of what they already know to be the truth. This is not done for any reason but to continually reinforce what is already written on their hearts — lest they fall into despair. In the late 1970’s examples of the truth were in short supply, especially in New York City — at least I thought they were. Then one Sunday, after Mass, switching the channels (we only had six) I stopped on Channel 13. That is where William F. Buckley reconciled the truth of faith — a gift of God — with the truth of living politics: Conservatism. I soon found out that there was a companion piece to this intellectual theater called Firing Line, it was called National Review and it was the printed version of the political truth; the bible of conservatism. Just like on Sunday afternoon, where the good guy, dressed in his comfortably rumpled Brooks Brothers, holding his clipboard, always triumphed over Gailbraith, Schlesinger, Kinsley et al — because he was armed in the truth; every two weeks I received everything I already knew deep in my soul about the subjects of our time except they were expressed in genius and packaged in wit and again buttressed by certainty.
I suppose I am one of the millions who were intellectually, politically and socially shaped by WFB. The one thing in common that all his admirers have is that WFB made us all want to be better communicators in the world of ideas. I am not famous or wealthy or even distinctive in any great manner. But, I am a better citizen thanks to WFB and because I am a better citizen we are a better country and because we are a better country it is a better world.
The coda of what he has meant to me can be summarized by two separate yet interrelated certainties that WFB brought to me. By gazing at a child’s ear you can prove the existence of God and that nothing is learned in life except through suffering. Thank you WFB may you rest in peace. 03/02 06:59 PM A Sentiment Understood Every Christmas I read the Dulce Domum chapter of the Wind in the Willows for my children. I do it to remind them of the meaning of home, frendship, and celebration.
In the story, Mole and Ratty are trudging across winter fields when Mole catches the scent of his former home... long forgotten and suddenly remembered.
"Poor Mole stood alone in the road, his heart torn asunder, a big sob gathering somewhere low down inside him, to leap up to the surface presently... Recollection brought fresh waves of sorrow, and sobs again took full charge of him, preventing further speech."
Now, I finally know how Mole felt on gaining the vision of his loss... we will miss Mr. Buckley so...
Richard Crispin, Louisville, Kentucky
03/02 06:53 PM An Intellectual Cary Grant In thinking of this great man, I can only paraphrase Billy Wilder on the death of Cary Grant: "We have lost the standard. Whom can we emulate now?"
Paul McGoran 03/02 06:51 PM He Took a Chance on a Williams Man Viewing and anticipating the eloquence that is coming forth upon the passing of WFB, I would humbly add a brief story of how he took a chance on one who was of average talents.
I was living at home in Los Angeles, having been a reporter for two tiny newspapers on opposite coasts. I'd grown up in a loving though sadly liberal household, had a keen though unformed sense of political ideology at a young age, became an NR reader while in high school and a right-thinking campus scold — and author of several NR pieces — while in college. WFB was a natural hero, as he was to a lot of guys I knew during those days and indeed, he had several relatives at my school. On a whim, I wrote him a letter, enclosing clippings, and noted that while I wasn't a supercharged intellect, I got things done. One May day in 1983, the phone rang my house. And it was WFB. He had a small project that needed sheparding and he asked if I'd like to take the post. Fully aware of the reigning ethos at my alma mater (despite my best attempts to change it), WFB said, in that unique lilt, "Of course, you can ascertain I'm taking a chance on a Williams man."
He took the chance, I did the project, which later became a book — "Right Minds: A Sourcebook of American Conservative Thought," polished and completed by a much abler mind than mine. WFB's ensuing letter of recommendation was solid gold in two my gaining newspaper jobs as an editorial writer at medium-sized papers (at the young age of 26, no less), and then when I sought work on Capitol Hill. In fact, the imprimatur of NR and of WFB has never left my career — it is the post of which I am most proud, and which entertains the most attention from others.
A post in the Bush 41 State Department during the end of the Cold War that my wise Williams professors predicted would go to the other team, 11 years on the Hill, and now a a post in Bush 43. As then as now: I didn't have the guns to succeed in the literary arena, among the battalions of solid writers that emerged from NR. So I've mildly thrived in the political arena. None of this would have occurred without WFB taking a chance back in May of 1983. The soaring testimonials will roll in from people of huge stature, but WFB is testament to a graciousness and kindness that touched even those who were just average. Jeff Nelligan (NR, 1984-85) 03/02 06:51 PM From a Mother of Three As a very young mother of 3 small children with little adult contact during my day; Mr. Buckley’s columns in the morning paper gave voice to what I felt and could not articulate. Certainly, not as he did. I would read his column with a dictionary at my side. The columns led me to his books, and those of many others. I will never forget reading “Witness”, while changing diapers, cooking dinner, and cleaning up children’s messes, with the book in my hand and tears in my eyes. And, the Blackford Oakes books, how great! I’ve never been sailing, but I know about it because of his books. I learned so much from the books and his columns. They were my “continuing education”.
In the many years since, I have been active in political campaigns, served on state party committees and supported every true conservative I can find. I have been active in my church when it was sometimes difficult. In large part, it is because of the inspiration of this amazing man. I actually was watching when he was called a “crypto Nazi” by Gore Vidal. I will never forget his reaction. He was always able to skewer his opponents with his intellect and his wit, and rarely anger.
We are blessed that he was in this world and he will be greatly missed. May the good God comfort his family and friends.
Carolyn Ledet 03/02 06:49 PM "I saw, every single day, what the world would be like, if we did not have the influence of William F. Buckley." I always felt like an instinctive conservative, even as a child during the 60s. My parents were instinctive liberals, but I just felt they were wrong. I had no intellectual basis at the time, unsurprising given my youth and adolescence. My conservative instincts were confirmed in 1979, when I watched Ronald Reagan's "A Time for Choosing" speech. But my conservatism was still an instinctual thing, uneducated, ill-formed. I was passionate in my convictions, but could not evangelize, lacking the intellectual discipline and clueless about where to find such an education.
Then, while serving in Germany, as a young cavalry officer, patrolling the frontier of freedom on the East German border, personally confronting the barbarity of communism, I discovered National Review magazine. And my conservative instincts found their voice!
Reason, wit, clarity, temperament...all of it flowing from the fount of wisdom with the name "William F. Buckley" at the masthead. I would take my current copies into the field with me, as we maneuvered across the German countryside. I often would read it by flashlight, or in the red-lights of a darkened gunnery tower. I was amazed at how much there was to learn. What a great professor I had in William F. Buckley, and his contributors to the National Review. Suddenly, and gradually as it were, I became powerful, combining my youthful instincts with education in the conservative arts, thanks to Professor Buckley, and his disciples.
I saw, every single day, what the world would be like, if we did not have the influence of William F. Buckley. I saw every day, the outcomes of the force of history that he stood athwart, shouting "Stop!" I needed no further evidence
I am deeply saddened by his passing, as I was with the death of President Reagan. It strikes me personally, though I have never met either of them. As if I had lost a grandfather, a mentor, a friend. There will never be another like either of them. They are laughing together at this moment.
David W. Parmly, Knoxville, TN 03/02 06:47 PM From a Faraway Country In 1965 I discovered that the U.S. Embassy in Prague, then communist Czechoslovakia, ran a small library with books and magazines. It was open to the public. There I discovered the NR and in no time I was captivated by WFB´s contributions. He helped me tremendously in my formative years to grasp clearly the principles I had known deep down to be true without realizing that. I had not kept that knowledge to myself in later years and in this way WFB has influenced developments in my country. Using R.Kirk´s words – he is a giant on whose shoulders many stand and will stand.
Pavel Bratinka, Czech Republic 03/01 01:30 PM A National Review Memory In 1999 I was walking through the NATO base at Sarajevo airport, a copy of my latest National Review visible through the mesh of my laundry bag. Halfway across the motor pool a Marine Captain shouted at me to hold up. He wanted to know where I had gotten the latest NR (mailed from home) and what I thought of "Mr Buckley's magazine ." We had a brief but pleasant conversation about what Buckley and NR meant to our intellectual lives and then duty called us both away. I never saw him again but I often pause to remember that even in that far-flung city, two of WFB's fans could cross paths.
God Bless you Mr. Buckley and may Our Lady extend her hand to you.
Timothy Ahonen 03/01 01:29 PM "His Memory Will Long Endure" To many of us who grew up in the 60s and 70s, Bill Buckley was one of our intellectual fathers. He gave voice to a conservatism we could only feel and thus gave us the intellectual heft to challenge the current wisdom. Speaking for myself, I can not imagine the world without Mr. Buckley's unique brand of wisdom; a combination of intellect, erudition and wit. While I will miss his voice my deepest condolences go out to the Buckley family. His memory will long endure.
Alan Weick 03/01 01:23 PM A Handful of Fond Memories I only met Bill Buckley a couple of times, and briefly, but I have saved the nice complimentary little notes he sent me every time he published one of my articles. After the New York Times fired me in early 1979 for my foolish insistence that the Soviet Union would soon invade Afghanistan and the Afghans would resist, only National Review took my predictions seriously and published them — uncut, unaltered, and without caveats. I had never read the magazine and turned to it in desperation — and found respect, welcome. And intellectual sustenance ever since.
Coming from the Midwest, I'm sure that I'm only one of a multitude who were not political thinkers, just were basic American conservatives — but didn't know it, or understand why, until Bill Buckley cheerfully, and with a glint of mischief, made us aware of it.
My condolences to Christopher, whom I also knew slightly long ago; to Priscilla Buckley, who was so helpful to me; and to the National Review staff to whom I can only say, urgently, "Carry on."
Rosanne Klass . 03/01 01:21 PM Blessed to be His Contemporary I can only echo the many eloquent expressions of loss, grief, and deep admiration that precede mine. William F. Buckley was a man for the ages. How fortunate we have been to be his contemporaries. I have listened to him in rapt amazement countless times on Firing Line and several lectures in person, read his books and devoured National Review for half a century but one brief face-to-face encounter at a thank-you reception for workers in his brother Jim's senatorial campaign comes to mind with a smile. I offered the view that Ronald Reagan's critics invariably groused that he owed his political success to his acting background or they belittled him as a B-actor. It seemed to me they couldn't have it both ways, the presidency of the United States being the hardest job in the world to attain. Mr. Buckley's quick answer: Did you hear his response when someone told him Bedtime for Bonzo was to be on TV that night - "I think I'll ask for equal time." Can't you just hear the hearty laughter of these two great friends?
Helen Wildermuth, East Lyme, Connecticut 03/01 01:18 PM Heaven's Lively New Resident William F. Buckley was a towering individual who used his extensive gifts to make the world a better place. I began reading his newspaper columns regularly when I was a senior in high school. From the moment I began, I was instantly captivated by Mr. Buckley's breadth of knowledge, his felicity of expression, and his deeply held convictions. Soon I sought him out in his other prime elements — books, essays, television, or wherever else he cared to grace our society with his elegant words of wisdom. No matter the venue, Mr. Buckley never failed to stimulate my interest and to do so with exceptional good humor and style.
Mr. Buckley performed an astounding feat by transforming American conservatism from a marginal philosophy to a powerful force for new ideas and dedicated to defending core values. Conservatives everywhere can thank Mr. Buckley for launching what became the modern conservative movement. His example shows the true power of a well-developed mind. More than once, I learned from Mr. Buckley's writings and discourse how to defend cherished beliefs with logic, courage and civility.
What is also important to remember about Mr. Buckley is that he set a wonderful example of how to live a happy, fulfilling life. Everything about the man communicated benevolence, generosity and care for those around him. He managed to change the world while having a terrifically fun time doing it. We can all learn much by his ebullient, spirited example. Rest in peace, Mr. Buckley. You have certainly earned your peace, and now Heaven has a lively new resident to keep everyone there in good cheer.
J.R. Kelly 03/01 01:16 PM Beyond Rhetoric The effects of Mr. Buckley seem at once to be both visceral and profound. He carried himself with an erudition and genteelism that elevated those around him, and he spoke with a candor now moribund in the public discourse that gave scrutiny to real issues beyond rhetoric and talking points. Although I never had the privilege to know him, I had the even greater privilege to have my conservative identity be shaped by him. While the world may mourn his loss, as long as there are conservatives, there is a Bill Buckley.
Patrick V. Turevon, Quantico, VA 03/01 01:10 PM Two Memories Please permit me to give two very short, very different recollections of Bill Buckley:
My first recollection of WFB occurred when my mother planted me at her feet each week while she sat in front of a god-awful black-and-white TV and watched Firing Line in its entirety. Even though I was quite young, I clearly remember thinking to myself that one day, I would know what all those huge words were and would be able to use them as wittily as WFB. Well, I am now safely a middle-aged Catholic clergyman who spends most of his working day teaching English and World Literature in a Catholic boys school in Irving, Texas – and I use A LOT of WFB’s words on a daily basis.
My second recollection comes from May of 1990 when my first crop of students were getting ready to go off to the university – two of them to Yale. I dropped WFB a short note, explained how distressed I was at losing my students to paganism in New Haven, and asking for his help. Well, he immediately sent me two copies of God and Man at Yale and was thoughtful enough to inscribe each book personally to the student who was going to receive it! What a thoughtful, gracious gesture! May the Lord reward him for his countless kindnesses as well as his wonderful life!
In Christ, Father Gregory M. Schweers, O. Cist.
03/01 01:08 PM "Great Men Don't Come Along Very Often" Some twenty years ago I sent a letter to Mr. Buckley, praising his work and suggesting that he write a book on how to write. He thanked me and said that he doubted he would ever pen such a book, but that if he ever did, I would receive the first copy. Many years later, when Buckley: The Right Word was published, I wrote him (tongue-clearly-in-cheek) and included a copy of his previous correspondence. A week later the book arrived, inscribed with the words, "Cecil, I owe you this, William F. Buckley." Great men like this don't come along very often.
Cecil Kuhne 03/01 01:07 PM A Compelling Conservative I am certain that I speak for many others on the Liberal side of the political spectrum when I say that though I disagreed with Mr. Buckley frequently, I considered him a man of superior intellect, honesty and consistency. He articulated the conservative viewpoint compellingly and vigorously at all times, remaining steadfast to the end. It is no surprise to me that he was writing at the time of his death—even with his last breath, he was fighting the good fight to advance his point of view. We have lost a great contributor to the ongoing battle of ideas that makes our nation the greatest in the world. My condolences to all who knew and loved him. We will never see another like William F. Buckley, Jr. James Hinckley, Richmond, VA 02/29 05:52 PM How Blessed a Nation Who am I to opine on the passing of a man that I once reflexively reviled yet grew to admire? What might I offer to the river of sentiments springing forth from every venue of a movement he inspired? Nothing, other than a sense of profound loss only mitigated by the necessary affirmation of the ideals he espoused throughout a life of immeasurable consequence. And something, perhaps, from the perspective of one who came in from the cold orthodoxies of the Left. National Review, arising from the capacious and facile imagination of Mr. Buckley, facilitated a slow but purposeful gravitation of this subscriber toward reasoned political positions founded on universal truths and honored traditions. If not for his magazine, the aperture through which so much has been discovered, would I have retained the intellectual blinders preventing my journey along this path of a virtuous conservatism.
How blessed is our nation for having known a man who engaged our minds and enthralled us at every turn. How fortunate will be future generations of Americans that, happening upon his words and works, capture anew the essence and elements of our national greatness which will sustain them in their hours of peril. And now the mighty shadow he cast recedes and we are summoned to enter the garish light. Let us move with the surety and purposeful determination with which he nobly illuminated the darkened corridors of our intellects.
Sean Higgins 02/29 05:43 PM For the Term "Conservative" We Must Thank Him I cannot recall ever knowing a better man than Bill Buckley, nor can I think of any other figure in my lifetime who might be said to resemble him. Ludovico Ariosto's description of the central character of his epic poem, Orlando Furioso comes to mind. "Natura il fece, e poi roppe la stampa."
Such was William F. Buckley, a man whose virtues, high character and talents were so uncommon and exceptional that I venture to think that he will be looked upon by future generations with the sort of esteem and reverence usually reserved for writers and thinkers who have become part of the Western canon. That there is a political and cultural movement today calling itself conservative—-a term both shunned and renounced in the years prior to the foundation of the National Review by such figures as Albert Jay Nock, H.L. Menken, Herbert Hoover and Robert Taft, all of whom were called conservatives—-is entirely due to Bill, who was wise enough to distinguish the genius of Edmund Burke and Adam Smith from the cant and fanfaronade of Miniver Cheevy. He and the fortnightly he founded, the National Review, are the fons et origo of the modern American conservative movement. Peter P. Witonski 02/29 05:40 PM A Grateful Convert I've been a Catholic for eight years. I owe a great debt of gratitude to William F. Buckley for his influence in my conversion to Catholicism. Whatever is right about me (no pun intended), was shaped by my Catholic faith. It is said no meeting happens by chance. In God's time, He sent someone across my path I would listen to—a Christian of extraordinary thoughtfulness and humor. He was kinder to me than I deserved, and I am grateful for having "awakened" just in time to appreciate what this country had in Mr. Buckley and the gift of his life, and what I was blessed to experience for only a moment of it. May he rejoice in heaven, even as we grieve on earth. My deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. Alisa C. 02/29 05:25 PM A Life Enjoyed “The essence of Toryism is enjoyment.” When I read these words of Walter Bagehot, written in the 1860s, I knew I had discovered the genius of William F. Buckley’s conservatism. Like so many who have written in his remembrance, I too was early drawn by Bill’s enjoyment of life, from skiing and sailing, to Bach and brilliant word play. As a National Review intern in the summer of 1975, my strongest memory is of the laughter the editors enjoyed over drinks after the magazine had been put to bed. Knowing that I was looking for a piano to practice, Bill allowed me the use of his apartment (and his Bösendorfer) and sent me the music for a Scarlatti sonata that he enjoyed. Greater generosity I have never encountered.
Liberals are never so happy as when they are trying to convince us of the latest cause for misery. Bill’s conservatism, while far more alive to the true tragedies and evils of this world, was ever seeking causes for joy and gratitude. In this moment, we may recall Burke’s words on the death of Johnson: “[He] is dead. Let us go to the next best: — there is nobody.” True words for this occasion. Yet Bill’s enjoyment of life won’t permit them to be final words when we recall his humor, his passion, and his deep joy.
Daniel Ritchie, Director, The Humanities Program, Bethel University (St. Paul, MN) 02/29 05:22 PM America's Great Champion of Liberty Contemporary intellectuals, especially of the Marxist persuasion, like to argue that large, impersonal, industrial-scale processes transform societies. William F. Buckley believed in a different force, the individual, a doctrine rooted in the Catholic faith that so animated his life. He ardently believed in — and defended — the dignity of man. He insisted that this same principle infuse our political institutions, which made him one of America's great champions of liberty. Mr. Buckley refuted the collectivist theories of the twentieth century, and led a movement that changed the course of history. In doing so, he reaffirmed the truths inherent in our Judeo-Christian tradition and embedded in Western civilization.
But it started and ended for Mr. Buckley, as the extraordinary testimonals here demonstrate, by reaching out to individuals — to his family, to his colleagues, and to young Americans in seach of guidance. His charming notes, letters, and missives touched, and inspired, countless individual lives.
In this same spirit, he was not just a man of the world, but someone comfortable in his own community. The people of Stamford, Connecticut, where he shared a home with his wife, Patricia, and son, Christopher, deeply appreciate his commitment to the well being our our city. We will remember him with warmth and fondness. At his local parish, the bells of Saint Mary's will toll in his honor.
Joseph Morrison Skelly, Stamford, Connecticut 02/29 05:17 PM Divine Humor None but William F. Buckley would be equal to the task of offering a tribute to William F. Buckley.
What Divine Humor! Bernie Milligan, Ventura, CA 02/29 05:13 PM A Remembered Kindness When I started a conservative newspaper at Lynchburg College four years ago, William Buckley was the first person to make a financial contribution to the publication. Not long after I mailed out solicitations to prominent conservative philanthropists, an envelope came back from Wallacks Point, CT with his donation. He didn't know me or what my plans were beyond what I could express in a short letter, but he obviously trusted our purpose. Rich Danker, Pepperdine University School of Public Policy, Malibu, CA 02/29 05:13 PM A Cruise in His Honor I first saw William F. Buckley in person when he was mopping up the stage with George McGovern at a Cornell University debate in the 1980s. I couldn't stop laughing and the very liberal college students who were attending, couldn't either. I have so many things to thank him for that have made my life richer, including literary introductions to Evelyn Waugh, Malcolm Muggeridge, Whittaker Chambers, and others.
This is a sad, empty day to think of a future without his aristocratic brilliance and I feel a deep longing for the era and times he represented. His wonderful life — private schools, Europe, WWII, Yale, National Review and his epic sailing books are so inspiring and highlight what is good about life in this world. His amazing accomplishments and life are a compelling beacon for all — The Buckley Music Notation system, his weekly, never miss, first thing to read articles on the next to the last page of the National Review. I never read a sentence by him that wasn't a marvel.
I will plan a yachting cruise within the year in his honor, to celebrate his life. There will be good wine, back issues of the NR, a copy of God and Man at Yale, all of his sailing novels — everything WFB with good food and music as well.
Farewell, old friend, we will miss you desperately.
Jim Jackson, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 02/29 05:08 PM Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom "Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom". I think Bill Buckley would express revulsion but enjoy the wit in the application of this Maoist cliché to his legacy. But it's true. Unlike the Communist ideology he spent a career opposing, his intellect, philosophy, and wit did in fact launch a counter-revolution replete with many, many inspired counter-revolutionaries. I am one.
I decided I was a conservative when I was a young teenager, translating my Irish Catholic parents' uncommon Republicanism into a concrete position in reaction to the 60's liberalism all around me. It was then that I was first exposed to Buckley's writings, and despite his admonitions to acolytes like myself to turn to the work of Friedman, Chambers, Kirk, and other giants of conservatism, it was in fact to Buckley that I turned not only for instruction and wisdom, but for style and approach in expressing my own conservatism to the world about me. Admittedly, his Irish name and his pronounced Catholicism aided in my attachment to him as an intellectual mentor. Worse, his famous altercation with Gore Vidal on television in 1968 sealed forever my attachment to him.
Thereafter, in my small way, I became a conservative activist. Member of the Buckley-founded Young Americans for Freedom, conservative supporter within the Republican Party, President of the Illinois Conservative Union, an attorney in the Reagan administration, and 38 year subscriber to the National Review. I cannot say whether I would have pursued these things were it not for Buckley, but he is so inextricably linked to both the intellectual development of the conservative movement and leadership of that cause, and so prominent a figure in my own journey through life, I cannot conceive of the course of my life without him. My shelves are lined with his books, and my garage with old copies of NR. I was fortunate to meet him several times in my life, each time memorable due to his kind demeanor to folks he barely knew like myself. Ironically, I attended a reception for Jonah Goldberg last night, and he led us all in a small "Irish wake" for WFB. The end comes to us all, but it is honestly difficult to imagine a conservative community in my lifetime without his sparkling presence. My sincere condolences to all of his family and close friends.
John Curry 02/29 05:04 PM Humor and Joie de vivre My father did not preach in order to encourage me to become a conservative, because he knew it would not have worked. Instead, he simply made certain there were lots of copies of National Review around and thus introduced me to the writings of William F. Buckley Jr. As important as the ideas in National Review became to me, more important was the notion that one could be a conservative and retain a sense of humor and the joie de vivre that Mr. Buckley exemplified.
I allowed my National Review print subscription to lapse a few years back, retaining instead my online subscription which is more convenient for me these days. But on news of Mr. Buckley’s passing, I have just now renewed my print subscription. I have a very bright and fairly headstrong 10 year old son who I’m certain will benefit from Mr. Buckley’s legacy. My Very Best Wishes to the Buckley family and to WFB’s family at National Review.
Gary S. Rice, Solana Beach, CA 02/29 05:03 PM Proud Moment Yesterday was a dark day. I had the great pleasure of sending Mr. Buckley a cartoon of himself back in 1987, in the hopes that he'd get a kick out of it, and maybe include it in his "Notes and Asides" column. He did just that, and it remains, in all my days of cartooning, my proudest moment. He inspired me and shaped my political viewpoint. I've added that cartoon to my Catholic Cartoon Blog. God rest his soul, and may Eternal Light shine upon him. Paul Nichols 02/29 05:00 PM An Anchor of Sanity I first heard of Bill Buckley as a youngster by watching Firing Line with my father and older brother. My father would encourage me to study hard so that I could acquire a vocabulary like Mr. Buckley’s. We also subscribed to National Review, and reading that through high school gave me an anchor of sanity in turbulent times (ie., the late 60s and early 70s). His work in journalism was extremely important and shows the incredible influence that one person can have.
The following words of Bl. James Alberione, a priest who dedicated his life to using the media to evangelize, could well be applied to Mr. Buckley:
“Keep before you, also, the example of St. Paul working so hard and suffering so much in the exercise of his mission. In the face of everything, he remained tireless, up to the time when he declared: ‘I have finished my course.’ You, too, if you have exercised your mission with faith and zeal, will be able to say at the end of your life: ‘I have accomplished the noble work assigned to me, and now I await the reward.’”
Sr. Marianne Lorraine Trouvé, FSP (Daughters of St. Paul) 02/29 04:58 PM WFB: A Vantage Point for the World WFB and National Review were the armored vehicles in which I rode through my college days in the late 60’s. I had WFB’s photo on my bulletin board instead of the Beatles and walked back from Berkeley, Haight-Ashbury, and The Graduate (up the steps of Lone Mountain) to the new issues of National Review. His books I read with a notepad and a dictionary and, subsequently, studded my conversation with the words I picked up—“jejune” was an early favorite. A reading list also emerged, and I found my way to Burke, Hayek and Russell Kirk. I played the 10th anniversary album over and over, particularly WFB’s speech. His reference to the schoolmaster’s warning in Scott-King’s Modern Europe: "I think it would be very wicked indeed to do anything to fit a boy for the modern world", prompted me to hunt for a vantage point from which to judge modernity on terms other than its own. Finally, WFB pointed me to Ronald Reagan, and I left San Francisco and spent the Spring 1968 term working for RR in the Oregon primary.
I never met WFB, but I “owe him” and shall, therefore, pray for his entry into the “perpetual light.” 02/29 04:55 PM The Measure of Man He was the capo di tutti capi of the modern civic intellectual. He represented a side of civic discourse that has virtually disappeared in the mainstream. He made an art out of being simultaneously merciless and respectable. He had class in a time where very few of us could claim the same adherence to the trait as he did.
Will we ever return return to a place in our society where we can debate the issues of the day as he and his guests did on Firing Line? As a young man I fear that we will not. However, as long as we have the legacy of Mr. Buckley to inspire us perhaps the wisest among us will insist on it one day.
God Bless you, William F. Buckley, Jr. The most important life lesson you taught me was that a great measure of a man lies not in how professional adversaries feel about you when the cameras are on, but how they feel about you when the cameras are off. If we could all live that way we'd be much happier.
Joshua Larson 02/29 04:51 PM A Stanza for Bill Bill Buckley touched so many people with his grace, his wit, his charm, his decency. But he also inspired a movement that liberated millions of people from tyranny. In that respect, though his efforts were not in fashion with establishment liberalism, he was not unlike Martin Luther King Jr. I offer this stanza written by James Lowell for Emerson, because it fits Bill so well and underscores how bereft all of us who befriended and admired him feel.
Was never eye did see that face,
Was never ear did hear that tongue,
Was never mind did mind his grace,
That ever thought the travail long;
But eyes and hears and every thought,
Were with his sweet perfections caught.
Rest in peace Bill. A nation will miss you. And so will I.
George Shadroui 02/29 04:48 PM A Changed World When I heard the news about one of my literary and political heroes, I felt the loss as one does a family member. My wife put it succinctly, "Wow, it doesn’t quite seem like the same world it did a few minutes ago."
About a year after we married, we heard Buckley speak at Florida State University. While I had been a Reagan and Bush supporter, I had flirted briefly with "political alternatives" in the early 90s. But after hearing his speech, I wanted to learn more about him and this magazine he had started. So at about the same time that I married, heard his speech, and started a family, I traded in my subscription for Rolling Stone for National Review, and I have never looked back since.
While it made have been Rush who made me chuckle in my remedial conservatism courses, it was WFB who made me laugh devilishly. There are many at work at NR today who still do that today and that is the legacy he has left them.
As a historian, I will endeavor to make sure my students know who this man Buckley was and what tremendous influence he had in our lives as conservatives and Americans. It's not the same world it was yesterday morning, but I think many of us are better equipped to deal with it than we would have been without WFB's brilliant light.
My sincere condolences to Christopher and the staff at NR.
Eric G. Tenbus 02/29 12:30 AM A Man for the Ages Though I never had the good fortune to meet him in person, I feel that I have known him closely for the 46 years since I began reading NR in 1962. At that time I was a conservative looking for intellectual support and solidarity at a PC college. Since 1967 I have read and kept every issue of the most important magazine existing today, National Review, and William F. Buckley's example, learning, wit and humor have helped sustain me as an English teacher at several other liberal colleges. Once I wrote a comparison of Buckley and Edmund Burke for a political science class. The professor, a good man albeit a liberal, recognized that I was playing the enfant terrible and wrote, "Buckley is no Burke." At that time I thought he might be correct, but as time and influence goes on, I believe Buckley will be at the very top of that great pantheon of conservatives. Clearly a man for the ages. Bob Barrier 02/29 12:28 AM Condolences for a Former NR Employee I just heard last night of the passing of Wm. F. Buckley. My sincere condolences to the Buckley family.
As a former employee of National Review I only saw Mr. Buckley a few times, however my remembrances of working at National Review will be with me always.
Michael Ashton 02/29 12:26 AM Memories from a Cruise William F. Buckley, Jr. was without any doubt the man who coined conservatism and bestowed upon conservatism, profound common sense and a flair for magnetic humor and wit. My wife and I were privileged to meet him and Pat twice, and were awed by them and their deep love for each other and their deep faith in God. The first time we met him was on the Return of the Cold Warriors' Baltic Cruise and my dear wife mentioned to him reading his Blackford Oakes thriller as a prep for the trip since it was based in East Berlin, and she asked him a question about a prop, a famous train car in the novel. He smiled his infectious smile, his eyes sparkling, and said, "Well, that was an authors device I used, taking certain liberties, because it mysteriously disappeared after the war." The next day he said to a standing room only crowd, that one of member of our audience just finished reading one of my novels, "The Death of Henry Tod", and I gathered it gave some satisfaction." Master of understatement, master of the English language, master of making even the most unknown of us feel so special, a man and woman who will be remembered with deep love, affection and admiration. We will always remember Pat's term of endearment for him (Ducky), when we were fortunate to sit on the same bus with him and Pat in Oslo. I hope Ducky is singing with a very big choir on his entrance into paradise.
May The Lord reward him and his lovely life Pat for all the good they have done for mankind. He will be long remembered along with Mother Theresa, Pope John Paul II, and Churchill. He gave us all some very finest hours. His life was American Conservatism's "Finest Hour".
Richard & Susan Mastio, Carmel, California 02/29 12:22 AM A Memorable Christmas Gift Many years ago, a good friend and I were publishing a small newsletter for our local Young Republican club. We had youthful aspirations of creating the next National Review. Mr. Buckley was coming to speak at a local college and we found out he was giving a press conference before his talk. We conned our way in to the press conference and grabbed seats in the front row. We each mustered up the courage to ask Mr. Buckley a question (over which we had fretted for days) and he answered them with the same thoughtfulness and aplomb he would have answered a reporter for the New York Times. We printed a transcript of that press conference in our little newsletter and sent a copy of it to Mr. Buckley, along with a letter expressing our gratitude at his indulgence of our questions. Many weeks later I opened the mailbox and found an envelope with WFB's name and return address. Inside was a personal note to my friend and me thanking us for the newsletter and for our contribution to YRs. His short note contained details that made it clear he had read (or at least skimmed) our 8-page rag. The letter arrived on Christmas Eve day. It is the best Christmas present I have ever received and remains one of my most cherished possessions. Thank you Mr. Buckley for your kindness and all you have done for us. The world is a far less civilized place without you. Godspeed, sir.
Jeff Stockwell, Lancaster, PA
02/29 12:20 AM To the Western Canon, Through WFB I was an anti-communist religious conservative when younger in the late 70's, but had a complete disdain of anyone or anything labeled "intellectual." Since the only "intellectuals" I had ever been exposed to in high school and college were left wing, unbathed, America hating apologists for communist tyranny, it was understandable. I attended college to credential myself for a middle class life, stuck with classes from my major and avoided at all costs taking anything from the humanities as that is where the leftists lived.
A friend I met through College Republicans said, "Good Lord, these idiots aren't intellectuals. Read 'National Review'." It was literally as if I had been teleported into a world I could never have conceived existed. I found what I intuited in an instinctive way about the good of the marketplace, the need to limit government, and the overwhelming importance of God and the family explained, defended and advocated with brilliance and force. The life of the mind was not restricted to some Noam Chomsky soup of words slyly hiding behind each other to confuse and intimidate. The "National Review" was a sword and a shield, cutting through the kudzu of late 70's liberalism.
I never would have read Chaucer and Chesterton, Adam Smith and Dante, if it hadn't been for National Review and Mr. Buckley's columns. My exposure to the Western canon was limited, in college often deliberately. Mr. Buckley gave me back my heritage, my birthright as a citizen of the West. How does a person thank someone for this, for giving them an actual living, breathing intellectual life? While the whole world knows of his accomplishments in saving us from communism, I simply, selfishly will miss the joy of discovering yet another article, another book, that Mr. Buckley has written that I have yet to read.
I believe Providence raises up certain persons for His own purposes, to minister to His people. William F. Buckley is one of these. Eternal rest grant unto him, and may perpetual light shine upon him.
Maureen Muncy 02/29 12:16 AM Condolences from a Friend To you and your colleagues. And to me and other Americans. Condolences on the death of Bill Buckley. I was touched in a recent issue by his eulogy for his friend Van Galbraith, whom I never met but who became known to me as the result of Bill's sailing books. It must have been hard for him to lose his wife and his closest friend in such a short time. We should all be grateful for what Bill did for his country.
Quincy Rodgers 02/28 03:25 PM A Convert to Bill In my youth, I started drifting away from the Church, getting into mischief and participated in counter-culture through most of the 1980s. It wasn't until I ran into Firing Line that I got a haircut, drifted back to the (Orthodox) Church, and began noticing my views becoming staunchly conservative, yet never losing my taste for the counter-culture I liked so much. It warmed my heart to know Bill was equally at home with classical music as well as the occasional worthy rock band or two. Along with God and my family, he was my sustainer while I lived in Eastern Europe having to put up with people still spouting Socialist nonsense while watching the Balkans fall apart. It was his charm that helped me turn several people on to him in my travels. I can't thank him enough for what he did in inspiring me. I'll never be able to travel again without a thought of the man racing in my head making me laugh at how charming conservatives can be.
Bless you, Bill; your family, your colleagues and your fans as well. I'm sure Saint Peter is letting you know what good you left in this world.
Rudy Carrera 02/28 03:19 PM Bill's Uncommon Common Kindness I came to know and appreciate Bill Buckley from an unusual perspective; I fell into taking care of Bill's succession of computers, starting back in the olden days when CP/M, Kaypro computers, and Wordstar were Bill's favorite tools.
Over the course of a decade, I had the good fortune to spend many weekends with Bill in his study in Stamford. Bill would show me what he was working on, and how he wanted to be able to do it. A few weeks later I would install and teach Bill some new tools to satisfy his appetite for better technology.
Bill's study was a large, converted carriage house that overflowed with books and stacks of papers and clear zippered sweater bags full of correspondence Bill had dictated, now ready for his signature. Bill sat in a slightly broken, high-backed swivel chair on casters. He would wheel from his huge C shaped partner's desk across to his bank of desktop computers, laptops and whatever was then the fastest "letter quality" printer. Bill parked the luggable computer he had used in Switzerland to write his Bradford Oakes novels next to his Stamford desktop computer, next to whichever laptops he was using. One of his Toshiba laptops took a drink of seawater during a trans-atlantic crossing. We got his data back, but in any event Bill's enthusiasm would not have been dampened.
Bill was NO conservative when it came to technological progress. Bill Buckley was using a 9 window, multi-tasking, electronic desktop on his computer years before Bill Gates shipped a multi-tasking version of Windows. WFB had his favorite Oxford English Dictionary on two CD-ROMs, a CIA Factbook and an Encyclopedia on CD, all accessible via a 5 CD jukebox attached to his PC. This was many years before a single CD was a common computer accessory. Yet Bill was not a follower of computer fashion. Dick Clurman interviewed him for Time magazine. Dick asked why Bill still used Wordstar instead of a "modern word processor" like MS Word. Bill famously replied "I'm told there are better programs [than WordStar], but I'm also told there are better alphabets."
What I learned in pursuit of making computer environments work for Bill helped prepare me for a position in Paul Allen's research lab in Palo Alto. As grateful I am for the accident of becoming Bill's computer guy for a while, it was Bill's humanity and Grace that has most contributed to my life.
I would quietly pull open one of the huge carriage house doors, trying not to disturb Bill's telephone call. Bill would leap to his feet, cover the phone with one hand, extend his other, and exclaim "My friend! Good to see you". He did the same when Jose, his house handyman, entered his study after having a grandchild. Bill was then on the phone with Ronald Reagan's Chief of Staff. Bill ask the "caller" to hold for a minute. Bill then turned his full attention to Jose, and asked in Spanish for the details of the newborn child's weight and health. When Bill had fully listened to Jose's proud report, Bill returned to the phone to ask the President's Chief of Staff to hold for another minute. Bill went in search of an elegant cigar to hand Jose. Only when he had taken care of Jose, did Bill return to the White House's business.
I would work in his study on Sundays, and Bill would often insist that I join him and Pat for supper. If I ever demurred, supper was brought to me on a plate with ice water in a crystal goblet. During the summer my daughter, then 5 or 6 years old, would be with me. Predictably, she would get bored and fall asleep. Bill would carry her asleep, across the lawn and into the music room where his wife would babysit.
Bill's driver, Jerry, and his cook, Julian and his assistant, Frances Bronson, and I used to exchange stories of Bill's uncommon, common kindnesses.
When I had moved on to work in California, my father was diagnosed with cancer and I sent Bill an e-mail. Bill was racing for an airplane, but he had his driver wait, so he could write and send a fax before he left the country. The fax was waiting for my father when he arrived at the Mayo Clinic. Bill promised to pray for my father. My father was both Jewish, and a Kennedy democrat; Bill, not so much. Dad was deeply moved by Bill's compassion.
Thank you Bill, for your challenges, for your kindness and for your Grace. May God Bless you and keep you. Daniel Shurman 02/28 03:16 PM For My Children Thank you Mr. Buckley for your service to our nation. My children will know of you. Mark Hoffman 02/28 02:56 PM A Great American Has Left Us It is with great sadness that I learned the announcement the death of William F. Buckley Jr. I discovered his program : "Firing line" when I just arrived from Europe in 1983 and attended a tech school in Tulsa. Later on I discovered National Review. There is no doubt in my mind that he was tremendously influential in bringing back the Republican party from its political exile after the media engineered "Watergate" catastrophe. I have no doubt that without him there would not have been a Reagan presidency and the collapse of the Iron Curtain. But besides the talented writer and the erudite debater my admiration goes to the sailor and the musician.
A great American has left us, he will be hard to replace, but at least he showed the way for the younger generations. 02/28 02:51 PM Intellect, Wit, and Character I watched WFB debate George McGovern when I was an undergraduate at Yale in the 1970s. McGovern, whatever his ideological faults, is a decent, patriotic man but he was clearly no match for WFB's deep intellect, and incisive wit. The beauty of watching Bill Buckley debate anyone, however, was that the way he treated his opponent, or for that matter anyone he dealt with—as so many entries on this blog attest. He never insulted, cajoled, or mocked his debate or discussion partner. There was real intellectual give and take marked by a genuine desire to surface and examine the issues, not score cheap debating points or win viewer ratings. The good humor, decency, and politeness that were the hallmarks of his style are almost completely absent from today's discourse on either side of the political divide. With his love of language and wonderful array of novels, WFB also became a great cultural as well as political icon. This combination of intellect, wit, and character helped bring modern conservatism out of the paranoid shadows it so often dwelled in prior to the founding of NR. His passing today truly marks the end of an era. I never met the man but he was a personal hero. My deepest sympathies to his family, and to the larger NR family over his loss. We will not see his kind again any time soon, I fear, and we all be much the poorer for it. Jay T. Young, Plano, TX 02/28 02:49 PM A Friend I've Never Met Like many Americans these days, I get my first news each morning via the Internet. And like so many others, this means first clicking on National Review On-line. So it was most fitting this morning that I learned of Bill Buckley's death from your brief news alert.
I spent much of today reminiscing about the loss of a friend who I never met personally. I am one of the thousands of Americans Mr. Buckley touched in a deep and abiding way through his singular eloquence and signature erudition in untiring advocacy of conservative ideals and values. In the mid 1970s, though newly married and beginning to make my own way in the world, I found myself seemingly without the companionship of others who thought and felt as I did. Then I happened upon a copy of National Review, and found Bill Buckley and his sterling company of like-minded associates.
I had been thinking of Mr. Buckley the past several days. This is about the time of year that I begin looking for his remarkable solicitations for financial support. I will miss receiving these letters. Although I was able to respond only a few times the past 30 years, it was not for lack of wanting, or caring. I will miss these solicitations so very dearly, as I will miss him.
One year ago this week, my beloved paternal father died. Today, my beloved intellectual father died. Tomorrow, I turn 60. As the years inexorably pass, it begins to seem like death is not only not final, but is not lonely, either.
Randy Mazzeo, Martinsburg, West Virginia 02/28 02:37 PM His Legacy has Announced Itself by the Testimonies of His Friends I have just finished reading all the tributes written by National Review friends, and as I dry my tears I realize this very page with all matters of the heart laid bare and vulnerable for such a worthy man, clearly evidences that his legacy has richly and forcefully announced itself. And this legacy will only grow as more and more good and kind thinkers rally to National Review where one is consistently challenged, pushed to discover, and inspired to fully learn the whys and wherefores of what they believe in this life.
My deepest condolences to the Buckley family and the NRO family as well. I pray all continue to press on in faith and might.
Dana Strunk, Redlands, CA 02/28 02:13 PM "A great life. An incomparable influence. " It hardly seems possible that we are discussing the passing of William F. Buckley Jr. So many of us had the same experience — growing up reading National Review in the 1960s — inflating our verbal SATs just by reading him — watching "Firing Line" in almost the same spirit as one would watch a spectator sport. What an absolute thrill it was to be shown the proper way to debate, to sail, to embrace life, by Chairman Bill. A great life. An incomparable influence. It was a privilege to have him in our lives. RIP, dear Mr. Buckley. Alexander Wysocki, Philadelphia 02/28 02:10 PM Remembering a Man of Wit I used to love seeing WFB's opinion pieces in the newspaper. On one occasion I read in the San Diego Tribune an piece on the media blowing the CIA's cover. In it he mentioned how Patrice Lamumba was murdered and added a gratuitous "thankfully". A couple days later I was killing time at the LA airport and picked up the LA Times to see the same piece in their opinion page. Even though I had read it very recently I couldn't resist his prose and went through it again. I noticed the "thankfully" was missing and ripped the page out of the paper to take home. Sure enough my memory was correct: the LA Times had removed the word.
When I called the Times' editorial page I was told, after being on hold several minutes, that the word was removed due to "space considerations", which was an obvious lie.
I wrote to WFB to tell him of this as was surprised to get a reply. I have it in front of me now. Dated April 17, 1991: "Sanitizing the content is bad enough; but they wrecked the
cadence, too. Thanks for letting me know." A classic response! He's in our memories.
Dan 02/28 02:09 PM Mutual Friends Mr. Buckley inspired me to embrace the good, sharing it with others. In the process he introduced me to a cadre of right thinking that led me into soul satisfying “friendships” with the likes of Chesterton, Lewis, Nock, Muggeridge, O’Connor and Sayers. He graciously and effortlessly modeled to us lesser beings what it looks like to love God, people and life itself. Conservatism’s sailor has now made his final land fall. What a welcome he must have received.
Dianne McBride Allen 02/28 02:06 PM Raised on a Diet of WFB Stunned with the news this AM of Mr. Buckley's passing. I was introduced to him by my mother, another wordsmith, telling us to be quiet because Firing Line was on. Picking up NR and, of course, a dictionary took me to a world of ideas far beyond my small home in New Mexico.
NR became my fortnightly routine, cover to cover, a diet that could not but nourish the soul, mind and spirit. Mr. Buckley made me feel one of the family. With due respect to Christopher, I was able to sail, savor music, skewer opponents, and myriad other experiences with WFB, my "father".
Obviously, I was aware of his withdrawing from public life over the last years, but it particularly struck me with "Miles Gone By". A melancholy stayed with me for some time, a foreshadowing that he would not be with us forever. I am grateful that I have known him and been able over the years to help keep NR afloat. It has been a privilege.
Heartfelt condolences to the Buckley family, but I am sure the Lord welcomed him with "well done, good and faithful servant".
Warren McKelvy MD 02/28 02:05 PM A Night of Buckley Not everything can be explained in space and time as there are spiritual elements that shadow great events and great people. Such was the ether at Chez Buckley when my wife and I attended that February fundraiser. It was a wondrous winter night with a snowy Manhattan portal that opened into the marble staircase and then the famous red study. The reason for our trudge into the city from the wilds of the suburbs was simple enough. Both of our families had escaped the Iron Curtain and though that generation came here English illiterate, we were compelled to seek out the clear headwaters of literary conservatism that rose above the muddled mainstream. Our people had owed much to Mr Buckley. 50 million perished in that half of the century when Mr Buckley stood first stood athwart it - would there have been 100 million more were it not for this one person? And what better present to bring than a traditional Ukrainian Easter Egg, decorated in the ancient lost wax process with symbols that evoked time honored conservative themes of faith, family, and fortune. Of course, this egg had to be of a scale commensurate with Mr. Buckley's contribution to the cause. A common hen or even goose egg afforded far too small of a canvas. No, this artistic work of several hundred hours would require the mural possible only on an ostrich egg.
The Buckley's opened the box and Mrs Buckley ("you MUST call me Pat") marveled at the brilliant hues of red. However, Mr Buckley closely examined this gem, exhibiting his trademark curiosity of all things new. "I see that the shell is quite heavy compared to a hen's egg - it appears be proportional to the distance it might drop!" Pat looked askance. Mr Buckley added "And the embryo, is it still in there?" Pat seemed to groan. "No Mr. Buckley," I said, "I am afraid that this art form requires it be aborted" ...and my wife groaned. "Well in that case..." Mr Buckley pondered, " I hope someone sought a court injunction!" and the small group laughed...as it would hundreds of times that night.
Pat took the egg ("I know exactly where it shall go") and my wife to smoke and drink in the study (Mr Buckley groaned) and we all delighted in a night when a magical spirit of righteousness and community and fellowship was the rule.
Russ and Karen Chelak 02/28 02:04 PM Thank You Thank you Mr.Buckley for National Review. Thanks for your books. Thanks for making the written language exciting. Thanks for your columns. Thanks for your love of God and country. Thanks for enriching my life. I will miss you. D.R. Tillinghast 02/28 01:59 PM Passing of a Great American I can not remember ever having wept when I heard of the passing of a great public person, man or woman, until now. At sixty two and a retired CHP officer I've seen a lot. What a huge loss for our nation. My deepest condolences, I only wish I had just a small portion of Mr. Buckley's vocabulary to adequately express the depth of my sadness.
Michael Swart, Meadow Vista, CA 02/28 01:58 PM Unparalleled Character One of the first dates I had with the woman I later married took us to a book store in Toronto. Bill Buckley’s “Racing Through Paradise” had just come out. It was available only in hardcover and sat on
a table near the store’s front. My girlfriend was a cash-poor student and wondered if she should splurge
on the book. I knew about her passion for sailing and insisted she purchase a copy. She loved it! Several years later when Bill wrote “Windfall” I found his e-mail address in the MCI Mail directory and contacted him. I wanted to know if he would be gracious enough to sign a copy for me so I could give it to my wife for her birthday. He sent back an e-mail saying he would be delighted and asked for “ten bucks, that’s what I pay for it.” I happily mailed a money order to his New York office. Three days later a signed copy of the book arrived with a dedication to my wife. I was flabbergasted; Mr. Buckley had sent the hardcover to Canada via express post long before my money order could possibly have arrived in New York. The postage cost alone was almost ten dollars. The trust and kindness he showed me is the measure of the man. Rest in peace.
Craig Hamilton, Tokyo 02/28 01:54 PM Senator Lieberman's Tribute is Spot on Pitch In Joseph Lieberman's account of his friendship with Mr. Buckley, one idea resonates — that Buckley would engage anyone, regardless of stripe, that would join him on the field of ideas. In an era in which universities codify speech to suppress such engagement, his respect for and belief in object truth stands out.
In another instance, I recall seeing Buckley in a televised round-table debate. His sharp repartee and sardonic grin left the impression that he could clean and wind the clock of any opponent, but chose not to out of civility. He personified an attitude I recall reading years ago in another context, "I may think you dead wrong, but that does not mean I wish you dead. It is possible I cannot make room in my intellect for your ideas, but that does not mean there is no room for you in my world." I have seen no one on the Left (and precious few on the Right) who combine the intelligence, wit, and grace with which he argued his beliefs — chief among them all that ideas mattered, and that you pursued objective truth with the absolute risk that you could and would be consumed by it.
Senator Lieberman's tribute is spot on pitch, as was President Reagan's two decades ago. Mr. Buckley was truly a giant. And how pitifully limited that word is to describe him.
Gregg Patterson
02/28 01:47 PM "Godspeed, Mr. Buckley! You have given us hope for the future." Mr. Buckley was a giant on whose shoulders American conservatism can proudly stand. I suspect his legacy will come to prove his stature as a latter-day Founding Father along with Ronald Reagan.
I first was spellbound by his wit and wisdom on Firing Line as a 13 year old in 1999. Not until high school was I acquainted with the power of the written word through study of his columns. A curiously conservative teacher of mine declared, "If you want to master the English language, study Buckley," and that's what I did. Through his unassuming references to publications like National Review and organizations such as Young Americans for Freedom, and the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (all of which he helped create or supported), I discovered that conservatism is not merely a political affiliation but a way of life.
His joie de vivre was most refreshing and something unique to Buckley in the American political discourse. Nothing could so simply (or joyously from a conservative's point of view) take the liberal establishment off its footing as the Buckley lexicon, sly smile, and his bright blue, ever-widening eyes. A 1967 Time magazine cover story defined his raison d'etre best, "Conservatism Can Be Fun."
I never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Buckley on this earth, but I pray for his family and friends.
Godspeed, Mr. Buckley! You have given us hope for the future.
S.M. Maney 02/28 01:39 PM A Buckley Memory My condolences to William F. Buckley's family and to the world. Our great man has left us. I remember when Gary Bauer on a National Review cruise looked at all of us in the audience form his perch on the table and said, "I'll bet every one of you has a story about what National Review means to you." I choked up . Yes, I have a story.
In 1968, having watched Firing Line for years, I urged my book group to read The Jeweler's Eye, the current Buckley book. I wrote Mr. Buckley and asked for a biography. He sent me five hard cover books along with it. Imagine that generosity! From that moment on I have been a delighted, loyal subscriber. Over the years since then I have written Mr. Buckley many letters and received personal replies to each one. Often he even changed his mind becasue of a letter. Few people in my experience have ever done that. Often he used an Idea to put things in the magazine. Imagine how great that was for me.
I love William Buckley. A brilliant, genial man. How lucky for us that he lived and gave so much, formalizing the right.
Janet Cantor, Philadelphia, Pa. 02/28 01:35 PM Genuinely Good Man About twenty-five years ago, I was dating a girl who lived in Connecticut, and I would take the train from New York City to the station in Stamford, to see her on weekends. One Saturday morning Mr. Buckley was standing on the platform, greeting a friend. My first impression of him was that he appeared in person exactly as his public persona. My second impression, and the more lasting one, was that here was a genuinely good person. He exuded warmth, intelligence, charm, and a positive attitude, someone that you couldn't help but like. WFB taught us many things, but one of the most important of those lessons, is that life is good, and politics is just politics. He is greatly missed. Joe Alfieri, Pleasant Hill, CA 02/28 01:32 PM News Release: Mike Huckabee Issues Statement on Death of William F. Buckley February 27, 2008
Little Rock, AR — Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee has issued the following comment in response to the death of William F. Buckley:
"Janet and I were sad to hear the news of William F. Buckley's passing. As one of the founders of the modern conservative movement, William Buckley helped turn the intellectual and political tide, shifting America from liberalism to conservatism. Our country, and our world, are better for his 82 years on this earth.
Bill Buckley was also one of a kind—a scholar, an activist, a wit, a harpsichord player. As a young man, he wrote God and Man at Yale, an enduring critique of secular liberalism. In 1955, his National Review burst into prominence, influencing many millions of young conservatives, including one youngster from a little town in Arkansas. To this day, his magazine stands as one of the most important voices of conservative opinion. In addition, he produced a seemingly endless quantity of books, novels, articles, columns, and TV shows.
So all conservatives owe Bill Buckley a great debt. Today, while our thoughts and prayers are with the Buckley family, we conservatives continue to draw inspiration from his life and work. But there is more to be done. It is up to us to carry on, fulfilling his enormous legacy."
02/28 01:18 PM A Loss for my Children I lament that my children will never know the feeling I had as I matured, that of eager anticipation to read WFB's latest commentary in the morning newspaper or the latest National Review. I once wrote a letter to WFB, passing my own minor comment on an editorial, and I was shocked that he actually took time to write back to me. I still have his signed letter and I treasure it as much as if it were a baseball card signed by Babe Ruth. William F. Buckley was a giant to me.
Mr. Buckley's death leaves an emptiness that cannot be filled — those who have lost a father know this sad feeling intimately. However irreplaceable he was, his legacy of spawning a multitude of conservative voices is proof that he sought not to be.
Dear God, thank-you for the wonderful life of William F. Buckley and provide comfort to his family in their grief.
Scott Lavender 02/28 01:17 PM He Inspired and Lifted When I first began listening to William F. Buckley, Jr., I knew I was able to absorb a small fraction of what he was actually saying, but he was completely captivating. Some of my best evenings were spent watching Firing Line. He inspired and lifted, and he definitely made this world a much better place. He will be missed. My condolences to Christopher Buckley and family members. My prayers are with you.
Linda Graves 02/28 01:13 PM More than Any Public Figure Buckley was the first true intellect I ran into that allowed me to actually enjoy intellect itself. He influenced my thoughts during my undergraduate years and aided my discernment to study for the priesthood. Along with Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa, he influenced my life more than any public figure. I will miss him!
Godspeed WFB!!!
Jason Sharbaugh 02/28 12:59 PM A Man of Wit and Humor In admiring Mr. Buckley it should be noted that I am an unabashed liberal, as well as a long lapsed Catholic. Yet I never found it difficult to appreciate his humor and wit. With the intellectual bite of his thoughts and tongue, I often groaned at the insipid, soft and bankrupt liberalism he used to skewer on "Firing Line." As a congenial and erudite representative of conservatism he was as worthy of my time, as the now dominant screamers and disparagers are not. I regret his passing. He was a singular man no doubt. There can be no other. 02/28 12:55 PM Faith and Reason It was William Buckley who taught me one of the most important lessons in life: Faith and Reason can comfortably operate together. They need not be adversaries, as is commonly thought.
I know Mr. Buckley’s political influence has mostly been celebrated. Rightly so. For me, however, it was his religious influenced embedded in the cooperation between faith and reason in his discourses that most memorable and impacted me.
Many talk and theorize about bringing a Christian perspective to the marketplace. William Buckley actually did. Even more, his influence was transformational—on politics, culture and social thought.
Thank you, Mr. Buckley. Well done.
Christopher Ribaudo 02/28 12:53 PM A Loss for the Church Militant Sad news - for us in the Church militant - about the death of Bill Buckley. I met him in 1970 when I was 12 and he spoke at my dad's professional meeting; I'm afraid I kept him from eating his lunch. He was kind and gracious to a precocious kid, and later sent me a copy of the book he edited, 'Did You Ever See A Dream Walking? - American Conservative Thought in the Twentieth Century. The same inscribed copy is visible on my shelf as I write this. It contains the essay by Albert Jay Nock, "Isaiah's Job", which has been a seminal influence in my life and priesthood. His late wife Pat was an Anglican and Bill, a Roman Catholic, wrote with understanding about the travails of the traditional Anglican when the gnostics delivered to us a bogus Prayer Book and the illusion of "women's ordination". I feel as though we have lost one of the last links to the Old Republic of Henry Adams, Albert Jay Nock, H L Mencken, and Whittaker Chambers. "Mayest thou enjoy the sweetness of the Light of God for ever." May he rest in peace.
Father Craig Young, SSC 02/28 12:50 PM "He Convinced me that I was Conservative." William F. Buckley's eloquent obituary tributes in NR were always moving, whether I knew well whom he was eulogizing or not. I always wanted to live well enough and to die early enough to have him eulogize me!
He also convinced me—over a decade before Rush Limbaugh—that I was conservative. In '79 and '80, when I was finishing high school and starting college, I would read and clip his editorials from the local paper, alert to their eloquence and persuasiveness but oblivious to their by-line. 'Round about '81 I discovered that they were all by the same author. I asked around about this William F. Buckley, Jr., and was told about National Review. My life has not been the same since. NR's pages (and Firing Line episodes) introduced me to a universe of other conservative intellectuals without whom my mind, heart, and soul would be most impoverished (John Simon, Florence King, D. Keith Mano, Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, Paul Johnson, etc.). As recently as last summer, when WFB praised the German film The Lives of Others in one of his columns, he was directly influencing me: I saw it three times, loved and was moved by it, and have Buckley to thank.
Besides—and I fear that this quality may go underappreciated—he was very funny. I can't begin to count the number of times that something he wrote or spoke had me roaring with laughter. The second-hand laughs he's provided me by siring his novelist son Christopher deserve my thanks as well.
Arsenio Orteza (WORLD Magazine)
02/28 12:47 PM Conversion Through Buckley When I was in college, I read Buckley to see what the enemy was thinking. By the time I went to grad school, he had converted me. He was my hero. Rob Waters, Ada, Ohio 02/28 12:44 PM "How many lives did William F. Buckley make better? No one can say, but to contemplate the question is to be staggered by it." How many lives did William F. Buckley make better? No one can say, but to contemplate the question is to be staggered by it.
If Mr. Buckley had not had the courage to reject the intellectual orthodoxies of the last century, if he had not done so with such vigor, this country and this world would be significantly less free and good than they now are. Mr. Buckley insisted that the individual possessed transcendent freedoms that no state can ever revoke, but he also insisted that free men have an obligation to live in accordance with unchanging moral truths. On both issues, he was right to so insist.
Like many people, I’m a one-time liberal who changed his mind, and who had his mind changed in some part by Bill Buckley. He was persuasive for many reasons—his charm, his obvious talent for friendship (often across ideological boundaries), his sense of fairness and sense of humor, his love of language—but I don’t believe the elegance of his thinking has been sufficiently appreciated. Responding to the moral equivalence position on communism, a position plenty of political science professors have spent entire semesters droning on about, Mr. Buckley would simply point out how odd it was, if there really was some moral equivalence, that pretty nearly no one tried to flee north from South Korea or east from West Berlin. In one of the last columns he wrote, he pointed out that a “right” to health insurance is logically identical to a right not to lose money on the stock market. This really was a man who could vanquish the entire Harvard faculty armed only with a telephone directory.
Today I realize how many years I took his presence for granted—as an obviously necessary part of the thinking life of my country. I have uncannily vivid memories of devouring the latest On the Right column along with lunch. Watching Firing Line on Sunday afternoons was part of growing up for me, so much so that when I hear the third movement of the second Brandenburg Concerto, I still feel an urge to slouch in my chair.
I never met William F. Buckley. I’m not the sort of person who tends to get emotional about the death of public figures. But today has been a day (to borrow from Auden) when I’ve felt I’ve done something slightly unusual. Something is amiss. And it’s more than slightly painful.
My deepest sympathies to the Buckley family and to the staff of National Review.
Joseph Stitt
02/28 12:42 PM Master of Common Sense Mr. Buckley was a master of the obvious, because his opinions were so unassailable that they seemed to be common sense.
David Govett, Davis, California 02/28 12:38 PM An American Patriot of the First Order As a young child of 12 I remeber seeing Buckley on the television, and I was immediately caught up in his wisdom and command of the English language. Later in life I began to understand the importance of his message, and it changed my life forever. If thet should ever decided to add another face to Mt. Rushmore it should be that of William F. Buckley, an American patriot of the first order. Michael K. Brown 02/28 12:36 PM Fair Weather and Following Seas Old Friend Today is a sad day. I never met William F. Buckley, but I felt like he was my friend. I will miss him greatly.
My father first introduced me to Mr. Buckley. I don't remember what started it all. It could have been Firing Line, National Review or his wonderful books on sailing. it was great fun to read such a brilliant conservative thinker who would also teach us how to sail by the stars.
I went on to become a big fan over the years, enjoying his novels, sailing stories and his column in NRO. He always gave us a clever turn of phrase and vocabulary lessons to boot. I often read with a dictionary nearby (as others have said), eager to learn a new word from his prodigious vocabulary.
Fair weather and following seas, old friend.
Steve Ward, Austin, Texas 02/28 12:34 PM Buckley for the Next Generation The day after Mr. Buckley's passing the students in my 7th grade U.S. History class will hear about this great American and how he influenced many of us in so many positive ways. My students are just now coming into their own spiritually and intellectually. They will be challenged once again to read, think, speak and write. They are the hope of our Republic and I am sure that WFB would be pleased to know that he leaves a lasting legacy in the lives of these students and on generations to come. Thank you WFB for a life well lived.
David H. Eaton, Mt. Vernon, Ohio 02/28 12:28 PM A Great Teacher It is a rare thing for an author to wield keystrokes and script so mightily, that walls are hurled down and movements are launched across generations. For my part, WFB was the most consequential author that ever walked the earth in my brief lifespan of 33 years. Aside from my parents and Jesus Christ, I can think of no other person who has a been a greater teacher to me.
I feel privileged to have learned from him, and will raise a toast in his honor, here in central Florida, with my friends and fellow of conservatives as we not only celebrate his life, but continue his work. That is, after all, what NR is about.
Bryan Stewart
02/28 12:24 PM Rest In Peace, My Friend No one personifies the phrase, "the pen is mightier than the sword" better than William F. Buckley. He fought ideas with ideas, with wit and grace and a formidable intellect. I thank him for profoundly changing my life and I miss him already. Rest in peace, my friend, rest in peace. Mary Moss 02/28 12:18 PM A Part of the National Review Family Count me among the many thousands of nameless conservatives who first caught a glimpse of Mr. Buckley on channel 13 in NY watching Firing Line over my dad's shoulder. These brief snippets were the gateway drug that led me to the heavier stuff, namely my own subscription to National Review. My addiction is incurable.
I was fortunate enough to meet both Mr. Buckley and Christopher on two separate occasions, and hope recounting them is in no way self-indulgent, but rather some small insight into the gracious nature of father and son.
My younger brother and I were stopped at a light at West 56th St and 7th Ave in Manhattan in 1991, when we both saw WFB crossing the street between our car and the one ahead of us. Jaywalking, now that I think of it. I opened my driver's window and yelled "Mr. Buckley!". He turned, and I shouted hello, and said "Good Afternoon, Sir! National Review subscriber!" He smiled and said thanks, giving a little wave. I pushed my luck, saying "Can we get your autograph?" His response was priceless. His smallish grin transformed into a huge one, he turned on his heels and came over to our car, responding "Certainly!" As he arrived at the car, he asked if I had received the latest issue. I said that I had, and it was at home. "Lots of good stuff in that one," he advised. He scribbled his signature, and said thanks for making him feel like a celebrity. We could not have been happier if we had met The Beatles.
Many years later, I had the great good fortune of meeting Christopher Buckley at a NR event in NY. We talked briefly about Iraq, and the Marine Corps. During our short chat I unthinkingly used an old military term, referring to strategy as "big arrow" stuff. Christopher had never heard this phrase, and lit up. He asked what it meant, and softly repeated "big arrows", in the unmistakable Buckley voice. He thought about it for a moment, and commented generously on the Marines and their colorful use of language. I had stumbled upon a phrase a Buckley found new, and was able to deliver it in person.
I have had the opportunity to work with many news organizations over the years, on behalf of the Marine Corps. Most have been very cooperative, some refreshingly and unexpectedly so. None has ever made me feel as if I were practically a member of the family. None except the fine people at National Review. They are a credit to themselves, and their founder.
My wife Colleen and I offer our deepest condolences to Christopher, the entire Buckley family, and the good people at National Review.
LtCol Jerry Wiffler, USMCR 02/28 12:13 PM Not Quite Sure that God Himself is Ready Soon after 9/11 I heard a news story about how the powers-that-be in Berkeley, CA had ordered the local fire trucks to remove all American flags lest the foreigners in the community feel threatened. To me this was the "wake up call", the absolute height of insanity, All Things Rational turned upside down. I was living in the Berkeley-lite area of Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina at the time and suddenly similar irrational episodes were taking place in my community. I felt the need to find a safe haven of rational, sane thought, a place where I could go to find brilliant people who were writing about the truth for "regular" people like me. I remembered WFB and National Review so I went down to my newsstand, bought the current copy and soon subscribed. Oh, what a relief for this anything-but-intellectual Louisiana boy. I found a magazine in which WFB, Rich, Jay, Jonah, Rob, Derb, and all the others talked to me like they were merely transcribing what I felt in my soul and in my heart. I had found the company of friends I'd never met all thanks to WFB.
Coincidentally early this morning I wrote my check to renew NR for another year and that check did get mailed later in the day with a very big smile.
While we are all sad today, imagine our darkness had WFB never been here to guide the way with such class and seeming effortlessness.
God speed, my Friend, and condolences to the family and the extended NR family.
Calvin B. Folds, Jr., Carrollton, Texas 02/28 12:08 PM The Last Renaissance Man Like so many others, I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of William F. Buckley, Jr., perhaps the last Renaissance man on the face of the planet. Since my freshman year in high school over forty years ago, Mr. Buckley's books, articles and television appearances have educated me in the intellectual foundations and principles of conservatism. He also showed me how political discourse could be pursued with erudition, grace, and style, as well as with passion and conviction. His courageous sharing of his reflections on his Catholic Christianity proved beyond any lingering doubt that an outstanding intellectual can be a man of deep faith. His example continues to challenge and inspire me. It is hard to imagine the world without Bill Buckley: we can only take refuge in his great body of work, and plead his intercession before the Throne of Grace. History, if not historians, will grant him his deserved title of one of the greatest men of ideas and letters this country has ever produced. To Christopher and the rest of the Buckley family, the staff of NR, and Bill's countless friends and admirers: my prayers and condolences. The world will not see his like again. Anima eius, et animae omnium fidelium defunctorum per misericoriam Dei, requiescant in pace. Timothy Paul Kowalski 02/28 12:06 PM National Review Conversion I am 52. I was raised deep in the heart of of radical chicdom - in Great Neck, NY. I remember growing up watching FIRING LINE and always admiring WFB. He relished debate, debated gentlemanly, with humor, and he made the experience a pleasure for viewers of all political persuasions. He was so smart, and didn't mind appearing that way, and he reveled in engaging equally erudite and agile minds.
He was not just throughly engaging to witness, but just as zestfully engaged with the world. Truly no man more embodied the pursuit of happiness - in all its dimensions, both political and personal. No coincidence here; this is the core of conservatism, as true now as in 1776. As Rush said, he was "a Founding Father".
I'm proud to have become a conservative, a one-time subscriber to NR(DT) and an avid reader of NRO within the lifetimes of the two greatest contributors to the movement: Reagan and WFB.
I know that WFB is in a better place. My condolences to his family and large circle of friends. His absence will no doubt be difficult for you all in a way we all come to know. This too shall pass.
Daniel Aronstein, NY, NY 02/28 12:04 PM "He was scary smart, a great novelist, but also self-deprecating." I can tell you the precise the moment I became aware of the existence of William F. Buckley, Jr. I was a kid in the late sixties watching the Ed Sullivan Show and Frank Gorshen (who was an impressionist before he was The Riddler) did an outlandish impression of him—head thrown back, lips pursed, tongue flickering, and pen as prop and surrogate cigarette. I had never heard of William Buckley but the audience clearly had. They roared. Now that I think about it, how remarkable that an intellectual conservative with a weighty interview show on PBS should become such a national icon that comedians “did him.” It is not hyperbolic to say that Bill Buckley changed the course of this nation. He almost single-handedly created an intellectually respectable way to be anti-communist and anti-collectivist instead of having to join the ranks of the conspiratorial and paranoid John Birchers. He was scary smart, a great novelist, but also self-deprecating. Once, during Ronald Reagan’s second term, I heard Buckley recall a mid-70s organized debate about the controversial Panama Canal Treaty (remember that?) with Buckley and George Will teamed up on the pro side, and former governor Ronald Reagan and Pat Buchanan on the con side. WFB said something along the lines of, “Will and I trounced them so soundly, Reagan was never heard from again.” I started reading National Review in my latter college years and it was huge in helping me crystallize a conservative (classical liberal) grid. Thinker. Spy Novelist. Sailor. Celebrity. World Changer. From here, it looked like a life well lived. Very well lived indeed.
02/28 12:02 PM From The New Republic to National Review This 80s undergrad started picking up National Review in a campus neighborhood bookstore back in the 80s, to compare & contrast with The New Republic and see what 'they' were saying. Long story short: eventually I became one of 'them'.
Thanks, Bill. Without you there'd be no conservative movement, and no Republican Party, worthy of support.
Joel Brigham, Cincinnati 02/28 11:58 AM Essence of Leadership The man who stood athwart history yelling “stop” gave his contemporaries what they needed most, the power of enduring principles and the courage to proclaim them. Whether they were hailed or vilified in their day did not matter. This is the essence of leadership.
John Pendleton, radio talk show host. 02/28 11:53 AM "I Will Long Remember the Thoughtfulness..." When a junior-high-school student, I sent WFB an editorial I had written about Ronald Reagan. He responded with a kind note politely critiquing my piece. The grammar was fine, but the structure of the thing was all wrong. It was, he noted, most important to begin with a topic sentence, etc. etc. I've long since lost the note, but will long remember the thoughtfulness of the man in responding to a youthful Reagan enthusiast badly in need of a good course on writing! Requiescat in pacem.
Jonathan Koenig, Wauwatosa, WI 02/28 11:22 AM How Does One Illumine a Sunburst? In December of 1974 I wrote a term paper for a Political and Social Theory class grandly entitled: "William F. Buckley, Jr.: Illumination." The liberal prof challenged a couple of conclusions. I sent off a letter asking for WFB's opinion, he requested a copy of the paper and within three weeks he responded with a lengthy letter congratulating me on the paper and providing further comment and clarification. I will not forget this kindness. In his book, Cruising Speed, he says: "...if I have not myself dug deeper the foundations of American conservatism, at least I have advertised their profundity." In this same paragraph he lists other conservative thinkers and the foundations they have laid...and asks how he could improve, for example, Oakeshott's analysis of rationalism and then parenthetically asks "How does one illuminate a sunburst?" WFB has, indeed, dug the foundations deeper. He was a burst of sun that illumined the dark corners of Big Brother thinking. I pray a new generation of thinkers of WFB's ilk can build on the foundation he helped to lay. 02/28 11:15 AM A Clear Voice for Wherever You Stand William F. Buckley Jr. has passed. A wonderfully erudite man will no longer speak. An articulate, witty, and razor-sharp thinker will no longer grace us with his insight. I am sorry for the loss his family must endure and I am sorry for our loss as consumers of his words and wisdom.
I met him first through fiction but knew him best through the National Review. As a life-long Democrat I was not always in agreement with his position. As a claimant to the title of thinking American I was in awe of his mind and his energy. Again, I am sorry he is gone. I will miss him. May he go with peace and find comfort in his Lord.
Scott McKinney 02/28 11:13 AM The Buckley Epiphany Coming of age during the Vietnam War, I had the good fortune of being introduced to National Review and the fascinating mind of William F. Buckley,Jr. Having been programmed to being a socialist as a result of my undergraduate education, I knew intuitively that what I had been taught did not comport with human nature and the values embodied by our founding documents. Initially enthralled by Mr. the Buckley’s command of the English language, I was eventually exposed to the great minds on the right by reading his published thoughts. My changing beliefs were reinforced and given substance by the intellectual capital that Mr. Buckley drew upon in the writings of Hayek, Chambers, Weaver ,Friedman, etc.. I am sure that others experienced a similar epiphany and for that I am eternally grateful to the finest public intellectual of the last half of the 20th century.
Judy & Stuart Nachman 02/28 11:09 AM When Now, We Need Him Most... He was the best friend the captive East Bloc (especially Poland) had in the media, and always wrote with conviction and strength during many dark days when no one could imagine that these people would be free. WFB helped break down the wall that separated East from West with every pen-stroke, every word emminated from his lips. Thank you, Mr. Buckley, the world is a better place because of your immense contribution, and the sadness we now feel is because in these times, we need someone like you the most....
Michael Karnowka, Queens, NYC 02/28 11:01 AM Overwhelmed by his Kindness Since 1967, I have been blessed to call Bill Buckley my friend.
He was an important part of my life and was always there for me. WFB was the most loving, caring, compassionate, generous person! On so many occasions, my husband, Stuart, and I were completely in awe, completely overwhelmed by his kindness.
I am beyond devastated...God bless you, Bill. Rest in peace! Our deepest condolences to his family.
Judith H. Block 02/28 10:59 AM Passing of A Hero What do you say when one of your heroes passes on? For the past few years, Bill Buckley has been one of the links on the Drudge Report. You never knew when WFB would have a new article out but his was always the first name I would search to see what he was thinking about. I would get excited when there was something new from him. Was there ever a time when he did not shed light on a topic in a new way.
The last posting from WFB was Feb 2nd, 2008. I have been searching the site everyday since and this morning was no different. I figured surely there was a topic that had stimulated his cerebral cortex enough to share it with us by now. It has been over three weeks since we last heard from him. Sadness overtook me as I read of his passing. No more articles. No more books. No more lessons from the great master.
Whenever a close friend or relative passes, I have a special bottle of Hennessey Cognac of which I pore two fingers and toast to his memory. As I sip the liquor slowly, I try to remember all the good times together. And now alas, Bill Buckley, God Bless you. Rest in peace. Here is to the celebration of your life and all you gave to us. Thomas Blawn, Daytona Beach, Florida 02/28 10:46 AM A Searing Loss I met Mr. Buckley when I was seven years old. My parents hosted a dinner for him in our Scarsdale New York home. He described his dream of a new magazine which would provide conservatives with an intellectual platform and elevate this political philosophy to the intellectual heights that it deserved. I didn’t understand precisely what he was talking about, but soon a new magazine appeared in our house, and I have never missed an issue since.
I feel like a political Forest Gump writing this memo, but there it is. I next met Mr. Buckley in 1956 at a rally for Joe McCarthy that my father took me to in Madison Square Garden. Yes..that Joe McCarthy. There he was, surrounded by a crowd of angry Irish Guys , a patrician presence embedded in a sea of New York blue collar political anxiety. And Mr. Buckley seemed to be having a good time indeed. I met him once more in 1964, again in Madison Square Garden at the Goldwater Rally. And of course I volunteered for his wonderful mayoral campaign.
The last time I saw him was at the Monday Meeting in Manhatten, a year and one half ago. When he entered the room, conservatives so many young, and so many others middle aged gave him a standing ovation. I know we were cheering him, but, to some extent, we were honoring the movement that he created and nurtured his entire life.
I know that your loss is a searing one for all of the NR editors, writers, and staff. But, I can assure you it is shared by your readers, folks like me who can mark so many events of their lives by the issues of your journal. Thank you Mr. Buckley for that! And for so much more.
James J. Mahon 02/28 10:44 AM He Illuminated the Lives of Ordinary People My husband and I are so sad today. We are very ordinary people and we know that William Buckley was not just a friend to the brilliant and gifted — he also illuminated the lives of average people by explaining to us and defending for us the dignity and worth of hard work, self-reliance, love of freedom, love of family, love of this wonderful country, and love of God. We send his family and friends our deepest sympathy, and we thank God for His great gift to us of this extraordinary spirit, this good and faithful servant of the Lord. Robert and Anne Warfel 02/28 10:36 AM Kindness in my Childhood When I was fourteen years old I wrote a letter to William F. Buckley praising his works and the National Review. Much to my surprise, I received a letter back, and an invitation to an editorial session of the National Review board on Lexington Avenue. I was a fourteen-year old girl in shock as I met Richard Brookhiser, Jeffrey Hart and, of course, Mr. Buckley himself, who gave me a personal tour of the offices and engaged me in conversation for almost an hour. To this day, it is a highlight of my life.
For a man of his import to show such kindness to an unknown child exemplifies his greatness. He will never be forgotten.
Jeanne Judge 02/28 10:34 AM Bill Made Me A Conservative In 1983, when I turned 18 years old and could register to vote, I registered as a Republican - the first in my family to do so - because I admired Reagan. Reagan may have made me a Republican, but it was National Review and Bill who made me the conservative I will be for the rest of my life.
I instinctively knew from my upbringing that there was value in family, religious faith, patriotism, tradition, and individual virtue. However, I never understood the intellectual validity for that value until NR taught it to me. Bill Buckley went even further, demonstrating to me in concrete, definite terms what it means to have a life well-lived. Because of Bill, I now close my e-mail messages with "Cordially." I learned how to effectively debate the Left without becoming the right-wing monster they usually expect. I learned how a conservative can love such things as celestial navigation, Bach fugues, and premium brandy. In his honor, I newly resolve to carry on his work with as much dedication as I can. Even then, I can never repay the debt for what he has given me and all Americans.
Robert F Jursik 02/28 10:33 AM A Consequential Life I don't know why I didn't realize until this sad day that Bill Buckley was perhaps the most important person in the 20th Century. I saw in one of the tributes that he was more important than "some" of the Presidents. I can't think of ANY 20th Century President that had the profound effect on public discourse that Buckley did-except for his "child", Ronald Reagan. In creating the modern Conservative movement, almost singlehandedly, he made Goldwater, Reagan, the Gingrich Congress, and much more possible. Without Buckley, we would probably have never won the cold war; never embraced supply side economics; never begun the long slog to reverse the welfare state. My parents read National Review from the beginning and, when I was about 14, took me to hear the great man speak. Even at that age, I realized how great he was, though some of his vocabulary was beyond me. His ideological children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren have contributed and will continue to contribute to the improvement and continuing greatness of America. History will look back on his life as one of the most consequential in American history. We should all celebrate his life and his matchless contributions. 02/28 10:19 AM One Does Not Have to Be an Adherent of the Conservative Canon to Appreciate Mr. Buckley As one who was an ardent fan of Firing Line and who truly admired the wit,grace,depth of knowledge and lexicality of this Leviathan of a man called William F. Buckley, he truly will be missed. Forever he shall be ensconced in the Pantheon of great American intellectuals who altered and elevated political discourse in this country. While I never met him,I happened to be seated at a table next to his at a Yale event, and he radiated charm and had a magnetic yet easygoing presence about him that was commanding. One does not have to be an adherent of the conservative canon to recognize and appreciate his leadership signature and that he had few peers.
Steven N. Cousins 02/28 10:17 AM "He Helped to Shape the Man I am Today" When I was 14 years old, I picked up a magazine that had no business being in the waiting room of an Emergency department of a small city hospital in Northern New Brunswick, Canada. Suddenly ideas and thoughts that had been discussed around the kitchen table with my dad came to life with a clarity and irreverent wit with which I had never possessed the ability to articulate. And those words. Those beautiful words, that jumped and glistened like sun reflected off water on the most beautiful summer day. They were the words of a man named William F Buckley Jr. He taught me how to write, and he helped shape the man I am today.
Joe Leger 02/28 10:13 AM The Consummate Gentleman In memory of this charming, gracious, witty man, whose electrifying intellect on Firing Line terrified me as a teen,but whose magazine drew me to conservatism, I've subscribed to National Review for my sons in college, and renewed my own (sadly) lapsed subscription. (Somewhat pinched,I had decided to let it go and read it online.)
Last summer, my mother and I were at the Stamford railroad station buying tickets for a train north, when I spied Bill Buckley hurrying by us in an obvious rush to catch the train to New York. "Isn't that Bill Buckley?"I asked my mother,who,turning, called out to him.Bless his heart,he stopped and turned, and, knowing her,greeted her warmly. As he started to rush off,she introduced me! And he, gracious as ever, turned back to say hello. I hope he caught the train, but it wouldn't have been the first he'd missed by being the consummate gentleman.
What a blessing he was to our nation,to the conservative cause he championed,and to all the young who may doubt that it is possible to stand firmly for something while treating the opposition with respect, and even gentleness. God be with you, thou good and faithful servant.
Kelsey Bush Nadeau 02/28 10:08 AM Eloquent and Elegant Whether he was skewering liberals, celebrating life, or illumining celestial navigation, the only words to describe WFB are eloquent and elegant. He was everything and did everything I wished I could be and could do. I do not often shed tears but I shed them today. Heaven is a little more heavenly this evening. and the angelic dinner conversation much more stimulating. Save me a place, Bill.
Richard Hadley 02/28 10:04 AM Eloquent and Elegant Whether he was skewering liberals, celebrating life, or illumining celestial navigation, the only words to describe WFB are eloquent and elegant. He was everything and did everything I wished I could be and could do. I do not often shed tears but I shed them today. Heaven is a little more heavenly this evening. and the angelic dinner conversation much more stimulating. Save me a place, Bill.
Richard Hadley 02/28 10:04 AM Admired Without Qualification Aside from people I knew personally, like my Father and a (very) few others in that exalted category, Mr. Buckley has been the single most influential figure in my life. I never met him, despite opportunities to do so, but never regretted it either. Please let me explain. He wrote once (I am paraphrasing here): “It is probably a good idea not to meet people who you unqualifiedly admire.” That exactly describes my relationship to him. RIP.
Terry Broderick, Brussels, Belgium 02/28 10:03 AM Half- Mast One of the most lively and satisfying flavors in the American recipe is gone. May God bless and keep Mr. Buckley. I wish our Flags would fly at half-mast. God, I'm really going to miss him. 02/28 09:59 AM Thanks for Spreading the Light I first discovered National Review in the mid 1970s as I entered the work force between high school and college. I winced at the weekly bite taken by Soc. Security and Fed withholding, and was delighted to find intelligent people writing eloquently and energetically on the notion that decisions on how to spend one's earnings were best left to the ones who did the earning. WFB seemed more reflective than reflexive. He showed me another side of the question at hand, or a deeper understanding. Unlike some commentators today, he offered more light than heat. May perpetual light shine upon him.
Paul Reese 02/28 09:58 AM "From a Sad Liberal" I'm sure you've received a fair number of letters from liberals like myself who are mourning the passing of WFB. At least I hope you have. As for myself, I can think of no other American conservative, from my era or any other, who was as amusing, intelligent, patriotic and fun to read/watch/listen to. (He'd lacerate me for ending that last sentence with a preposition, I'm certain.)
More to the point, he could be alarmingly persuasive. While I wear my liberalism proudly, and resolve each day to facilitate the forward movement of history — even while others would stand athwart it and yell "Stop!" — I was always a little nervous when confronted with his arguments. There was always the risk that I might succumb to his charm, his logic, his sense of intellectual mischief, his smiling certitude. I never did; and now that he's gone, I probably never will. But it was always delightful to experience that sense of philosophical unease. I suppose you could say he was the sort of conservative that thoughtful liberals envied terribly.
You — we —have lost a giant. RIP.
Jeff Turrentine, Los Angeles, CA
02/28 12:16 AM At Home with WFB When growing up, National Review was a much a fixture in our home as my father making Sunday's pancakes. Both were the best. I use to glance at it when I was young; not really understanding what was inside, but knowing it was important. As a teenager and later, I became interested in what the magazined and the movement were all about.
It became vitally important for me to seek the opinion of William F. Buckley and the other writers of National Review on almost every topic imaginable. I trusted what he wrote and I still trust the magazine today. It has helped shaped the man I am today and its truthfulness rings through the entire country.
Mr. Buckley will be mourned and missed by millions. His writings and influence will last far longer than any who might read my meager words. And National Review will continue as well. It's hard to predict who will be the next great voice for Conservatism, but I trust the National Review family will be just fine. My condolences to you all, G*d bless the family of William F. Buckley and Viva National Review. Scott Covington, Houston, Texas 02/27 10:36 PM The Fab One Count me among the many thousands of nameless conservatives who first caught a glimpse of Mr. Buckley on channel 13 in NY watching Firing Line over my dad's shoulder. These brief snippets were the gateway drug that led me to the heavier stuff, namely my own subscription to National Review. My addiction is incurable.
I was fortunate enough to meet both Mr. Buckley and Christopher on two separate occasions, and hope recounting them is in no way self-indulgent, but rather some small insight into the gracious nature of father and son.
My younger brother and I were stopped at a light at West 56th St and 7th Ave in Manhattan in 1991, when we both saw WFB crossing the street between our car and the one ahead of us. Jaywalking, now that I think of it. I opened my driver's window and yelled "Mr. Buckley!" He turned, and I shouted "hello," and said "Good Afternoon, Sir! National Review subscriber!" He smiled and said thanks, giving a little wave. I pushed my luck, saying "Can we get your autograph?" His response was priceless. His smallish grin transformed into a huge one, he turned on his heels and came over to our car, responding "Certainly!" As he arrived at the car, he asked if I had received the latest issue. I said that I had, and it was at home. "Lots of good stuff in that one," he advised. He scribbled his signature, and said thanks for making him feel like a celebrity. We could not have been happier if we had met The Beatles.
Many years later, I had the great good fortune of meeting Christopher Buckley at a NR event in NY. We talked briefly about Iraq, and the Marine Corps. During our short chat I unthinkingly used an old military term, referring to strategy as "big arrow" stuff. Christopher had never heard this phrase, and lit up. He asked what it meant, and softly repeated "big arrows," in the unmistakable Buckley voice. He thought about it for a moment, and commented generously on the Marines and their colorful use of language. I had stumbled upon a phrase a Buckley found new, and was able to deliver it in person.
I have had the opportunity to work with many news organizations over the years, on behalf of the Marine Corps. Most have been very cooperative, some refreshingly and unexpectedly so. None has ever made me feel as if I were practically a member of the family. None except the fine people at National Review. They are a credit to themselves, and their founder.
My wife Colleen and I offer our deepest condolences to Christopher, the entire Buckley family, and the good people at National Review.
LtCol Jerry Wiffler, USMCR 02/27 09:31 PM A Christian Gentleman Imagine, just imagine, if such intellect and such wit had not been tempered by such generosity of spirit.
Even the most casual meeting with him was memorable.
Only a totally honest person could be so at ease and absolutely without pretension despite his immense refinement of mind and character.
So deep, so broad, so witheringly quick; so unfailingly aware of his ultimate accountability to Almighty God, and therefore so appreciative of God's gifts and of God's Greatest Gift. He was a Christian Gentleman.
Ralph Kinney Bennett 02/27 09:11 PM A Life Zestfully Lived It was Rush in the early 90’s that introduced me to conservatism, after graduating college as a good Canadian socialist. But it was Bill Buckley that educated me on conservatism. And 15 years later I still consider myself a student, after 10+ years as a subscriber and many of his tomes consumed, both fiction and non. He was an unequaled role model as a man of faith, family, intelligence, and life. He destroyed the Left’s stereotype of the rich conservative as greedy, selfish, ignorant, and uncaring. He zest for life inspired achievement in all human pursuits, something no reader of this missive need be told. 15 years from now when I have the time and resources to take up sailing he will get the majority of credit for sparking my interest in that sport. And I would credit the man with influencing my baptism as a Christian, something I feel he would cherish above any other praise. His passing saddens me more than any public figure of my lifetime. I pray he rests as he fully deserves. Thank you. Lincoln 02/27 08:40 PM Death in the Family Today is an extraordinarily sad day — indeed, it feels like a death in the family. I am not ashamed to say tears came to me as I realized he is truly gone. It comes to mind that this time of saying goodbye could never come at a good time, nor too late in the years. Would that he could have been a centurion.
In my mid-20's, I discovered the writings of Mr. Buckley and had quite an education in not only how to think, but how to live. At the time, I found his address in Connecticut in Who's Who and wrote to him a fewtimes — to my astonishment he wrote me back. He was a deeply honorable man.
Mr. Buckley, of course, is the father of the conservative movement and for that we are forever indebted to him. He was an incredible speaker, a literary lion, a man of style and wit, a great defender of the English language, a consummate gentleman, an expert sailor, a good Catholic, and a true American patriot. Now in my early-40's, I look at my meager accomplishments as rather suspect when measured against this man of the Renaissance.
It falls to us now to honor his memory by continuing the battle against mediocrity of thought, word, and deed. I hope friends and admirers alike will pick up and carry forth the torch he lit so many years ago.
He has gone home now to be with his dear wife Pat. God Bless Bill Buckley. And God Speed. Richard McRae 02/27 08:39 PM A Prayer for a Great Man I write from the American Embassy in Baghdad. Surreally, tonight is karaoke night. My officemate and I were just packing up a few adult beverages for the show when I decided to check the news one more time.
I was heartbroken to see the news. As one of those dorky little kids who grew up reading Dad's NR, Bill Buckley shaped my life. I met him once, briefly, at the new Borders downtown near Ground Zero. It was summer 2003. That store replaced the bookstore destroyed on 9/11. Then, I was a young associate at a large law firm sneaking off during his lunch hour to see one of my idols. I got there early and was browsing the shelves when in walked WFB for his book-signing. No one was there to meet him. He wandered about for a bit, displaying more patience than I would have. Finally, I screwed up my courage, went over, introduced myself, and brought him back to the book-signing area (I was a daily patron. I knew the place better than the employees.) We chatted a bit about the events of that September day. He was a perfect gentleman, even when I told him I was a Harvard grad.
It's a small memory, but a great one. At the risk of being profoundly narcissistic, Buckley's world of ideas & books, 9/11, and where I am right now have shaped who I am — for better or worse.
This Sunday, when they ask for intentions at Mass, I hope to get WFB on the list for he'll certainly be on mine tonight.
Rest In Peace. See you.
Christopher M. Griffith, US Department of State, Embassy - Baghdad 02/27 06:54 PM Rosaries for WFB After reading Bill's article, To Be a Pilgrim, my sweetheart sent Bill a set of rosaries that were blessed by dear priest friend of ours. Bill wrote her such a kind handwritten note in which he promised to put them to use. He was a most delightful man. I extend my condolences to the entire Buckley family.
May he rest in peace.
James Murphy, Essex Fells, NJ
02/27 06:44 PM To Disagree Without Being Disagreeable As a progressive Catholic writer and political junkie, I consistently found that I could embrace William F. Buckley's sincerity, intellect and decency far more than I could reject the conclusions he reached on many subjects. This was especially apparent in Buckley's autobiographical homage to his Catholic faith, "Nearer, My God."
Indeed, WFB's lasting contribution to America—in addition to his principled advancement of conservative thought, of course—will long remain his ability to advance his views in a civil and gracious manner. This country, even now, has a chance to wage a great and honest debate between liberalism and conservatism, on their respective merits. Any healthy society should not be dominated by one philosophy so much as it should routinely have recurring competitions between philosophies that are considered, tried and tested in clear and defining ways. When a given philosophy is authentically applied to policy or government, society can then reap the benefits of knowing if that policy can be said to have flourished or failed. With clarity in our clash of ideas, America can grow and learn from history instead of getting carried away by it.
The only thing preventing this clear and cleansing competition from happening is and has been the poisonous polarization of our political discourse, a reality created by plenty of people on both sides of our fundamental political divide. If all militants and mavericks; icons and instigators; radicals and reactionaries; pundits and prudent probers could, together, lay down their swords and dial down the volume, our nation—recalling the illuminating and edifying decades of FIRING LINE— can once again experience the pure and robust intellectual jousting it so desperately needs today... and which Bill Buckley provided for many decades.
All of us, liberals and conservatives alike, need to look in the mirror today... and heavenward, to WFB's new abode... so that we can recapture the gentle civility that made Buckley a positive presence on the grand stage of history. If we can ever learn to debate with civility and graciousness ever again, America will regain a certain sense of serenity and peace that has been lost in these turbulent times.
God bless you, Bill Buckley. Thank you for showing a grateful nation how to have adult conversations... and how to disagree without being disagreeable. May we regain your example, which has been lost by both sides of the aisle in this deeply divided country.
Matt Zemek, Seattle 02/27 06:42 PM A Liberal Fan I am a liberal who was a Buckley fan for years. I was a fan of the gracious, humorous man who loved and underestood Bach, who wrote terrific novels, who stood head and shoulders above the sour affair conservatism has turned out to be under the neo-conservatives, who had values and promoted them. I remember the courageous stance he took on anti-Semitism on the far right and his honesty about his own experience.
My even-more-liberal father and I used to settle down to watch "Firing Line" and we would rush to the dictionary afterward, laughing. He did more for my vocabulary than almost anyone else I have ever encountered, although I don't use that many of the wonderful words he exposed me to for the first time.
Bill Buckley was one of my heroes in so many ways. Someone wrote that a lot of liberals had a crush on Buckley. Count me among them.
Karen Silver 02/27 06:41 PM Beautiful, Enduring, Impossible to Ignore, and Admired by All. The mortal man passes but his intellectual legacy stands like the Parthenon. Beautiful, enduring, impossible to ignore, and admired by all.
It is so hard to believe Mr. Buckley has passed because what he has built up during his life seems deathless. He strove for the highest things and carried so many of us lesser mortals with him. At least now he is joyfully finding out how close he came.
J.R. Riley 02/27 06:40 PM Conservative and Catholic? In college, I wrote in the margin of one of my notebooks, "Can one be both Catholic and conservative?"
Subsequently, Mr Buckley has taught me the answer is yes, and has done so with style and grace.
And humor. I will never forget his column on the joys of peanut butter. God bless him from a young conservative/libertarian.
James Landis
02/27 06:38 PM A Gracious and Compelling Man WFB was the most gracious and compelling man I have ever met. It is hard to not shed a tear when one thinks of what we have lost, but harder still to ignore the blessing of having benefited from a life lived so exuberantly.
I began to read the collections of his columns (Happy Days Were Here Again, The Jeweler's Eye, etc.) when I was 14, and studying the man and his works has been a love affair for over a decade. There are those who can claim this passion for 50 years. Whether one has had the benefit for 1 or 50 years, all of us have been the benefactors of a life that helped to actualize the ideals of human freedom, the respect for history and tradition, perfection in the use of the English language, and the true concept of being a gentleman.
Now Bill Buckley is with God. Let us continue his work while on earth.
Ryan N. Lambert, Houston, TX 02/27 06:38 PM A Fierce Warrior With a Cheerful Heart I met him only twice, many years ago when I was in college. He also wrote a note to me, a friendly compliment expressed with his usual wit, just a sentence or two in response to my letter about the liberalism I’d observed in my classes and textbooks. I’ve lost the letter but it doesn’t matter because I remember what he wrote and the thrill of opening the letter and reading it.
Of all the people in public life I’ve seen and heard, he reminded me most of Chesterton. He was a fierce warrior with a cheerful heart, always mindful that our battles must be waged with the understanding that, even in victory, the character you display in the fight, and your manners, point to a greater glory. We remember the ruthless logic and devastating wit but beneath it all was a view of the world as a canvass, as a work of art, as His creation. It all excited his keen intelligence and the whole world inspired him to fight, and smile. Now he’s gone forever and it’s so hard at this time to follow his example but I believe that, as time passes, if we reflect on his life and what he accomplished then our tears will be mingled with joy, and we’ll recover our cheer.
Keith Scott
02/27 05:46 PM An Obit for WFB For years I have thought that one could have no finer honor than to have WFB, Jr. write one's obituary. He offered such wonderful tributes to his many friends and associates as they passed.
I wonder, today, who can write his; who is up to offering the tribute that he deserves.
Stephen Goldstein, Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan 02/27 05:44 PM A Lifetime of Buckley My first sip of champagne came when I was nine months old. It was election night 1980 and as one state after another fell for Ronald Reagan my parents bundled their new baby up and brought me to a trailer that served as Republican Headquarters in our Maine town. People were celebrating a new beginning one my parents had started working for when they were in school campaigning for Goldwater; one Mr. Buckley worked for even longer. As I grew and my political awareness became more acute my parents would tell me the story of my first taste of champagne and I would ask them why an election was so worth celebrating? They responded by giving me National Review. In time I moved beyond looking at the cartoons (after all I was very young) and got to the articles, eventually I moved on to God and Man at YaleChampagne. RIP WFB without which I would not have remained a thinking person in college. His political writings helped my heated arguments with professors still clinging to their worn out world view but more than that his spy novels were a much anticipated break from being a lowly Senate staffer in DC with no money and a reading of his high sea adventures improved any day at the beach. It was their love of Mr. Buckley’s work that lead my parents to meet at a Goldwater rally in 1964 more importantly it is because of Mr. Buckley I acquired at a young age a taste for.
William Thompson 02/27 05:42 PM Heaven is the Richer for Him I honestly can't remember when I first came across Bill Buckley, but it was in college over 25 years ago. I couldn't get enough of him! And the more I explored the world of conservatism, the more he kept popping up … in the newspapers, on the bookshelves, on television … And then the thrill of learning that he lived in the same town as me — where I still live — Stamford! Now that was something! I felt privileged to share an address with him. While still in college, I wrote and asked him for a poster-size picture of himself for my dorm room that I had seen somewhere. He wrote back, enclosing an autographed photo (which still adorns my office desk at home), with a note that "…they don't make those posters anymore, but this will get you in quite enough trouble." Doesn't that make you smile? Years ago, through a mutual friend, I was invited to supper at Bill's home. It was just six of us. I remember it like yesterday. I anticipated the day for weeks in advance and was absolutely a wreck when the moment came for me to ring the bell at Wallach's Point. Bill answered and immediately made us comfortable. I told him about the photo story and about what a fan I was (even a Young Americans for Freedom member in college!). Pat made sandwiches and we all chatted as if we'd known each other for years. A few days later, a letter arrived from Bill with his home phone number and a plea to share my number with him and to 'stay in touch', which we did.
Listening to Bill, learning from him, being entertained by him, I often thought, "When this man passes, the world is going to lose a lot." There aren't that many people about which one could honestly say that. The world has indeed lost a great treasure. But Heaven is the richer for it.
Among the slings and arrows of life here in this veil of tears, I heard someone once ask Bill how he manages to stay so optimistic and hopeful. His reply, "Because I know that my Redeemer lives." And so He does. And so does the happy memory of this great man. Michael S Guarnieri 02/27 05:41 PM A Persistent and Meaningful Influence I started reading National Review when I was 12, and thankfully have never stopped. I echo many of the sentiments already so eloquently stated, therefore, I will veer away from redundancy for the sake of brevity. I will simply say this: I am 33 years old and, other than my father, no other person has had such a persistent and meaningful impact on my thinking and temperament - and it's not even close. I have been sometimes confused, but more often delighted by the notion that someone I have never met could have had such a profound influence on me. But since he chose to share so much of himself for so long with all of us mere mortals, all is not lost. Thankfully, even In the midst of the sadness and grief, there remains still the assurance of William F. Buckley's warmth, wit and wisdom. It will be here tomorrow just as it was there yesterday. And thank God for that. Curt Haverluck, Carmel, Indiana 02/27 05:40 PM The Quintessential American Character As Derbyshire and other have pointed out, he was a quintessential American character. The most one can hope for in a life is to leave behind a body of work, and a number of other lives touched and inspired. Buckley did all that, and more. I'm reminded of Solon's words to Croesus, where Solon told him that he could not tell whether a man is happy or not until after his death, and we see what he's done. "He who unites the greatest number of advantages, and retaining them to the day of his death, then dies peaceably, that man alone, sire, is, in my judgment, entitled to bear the name of 'happy'." Hail and farewell, Buckley, happiest of men. Mike Zorn, California 02/27 05:37 PM All Honor and Glory Sometime after a novel I wrote was published, I wrote Mr. Buckley. I told him that a high school football coach once told me that I should let people know if they inspired me. Mr. Buckley's entertaining novels, his philosophy, and his wonderful use of the English language had inspired me, and I wrote him to tell him. Kind and gracious man that he is, Mr. Buckley wrote a nice handwritten note, which I treasure.
William F. Buckley, all honor and glory to his name. Strudwick Marvin Rogers, author of The Bermuda Indenture 02/27 05:35 PM There Are Not Words Perhaps Mr. Buckley would smile at the thought that in expressing condolences for him, mere words are not enough. Rest In peace, you wonderful man. William R. Stein 02/27 05:34 PM A Full, Faithful Life I read of William F. Buckley's death with great sadness and although I met him only once, a deep sense of loss filled me. There is immense joy though. Mr. Buckley lived a full life, faithful to God, true to his convictions, and dedicated to his family, friends, and country.
Let us honour him by picking up the sword (or pen) this warrior has laid down. Godspeed, WFB! May the angels carry you to eternal rest. Mr. Buckley sails for the last time. Crossing the Bar by Alfred Lord Tennyson Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea, But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home. Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark; For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar. Matthew White
02/27 05:34 PM Like Family I feel as if I have lost the closest member of my family today. Since I came to the United States in
1962 I have been a fan, follower and student of Mr. Buckley and his publications and teachings. I have had two heros in my life, Ronald Reagan and WFB. More than anyone else, they shaped my life. I will miss his writings dearly. My sincere condolences to his family and to all his friends and colleagues at National Review. Please keep his memory alive.
Brendan Plunkett
02/27 05:32 PM WFB Taught Me Why I Was Right Knowing you are right but not knowing why...some call this intuition. William F. Buckley Jr. taught me why I was right and transformed intuition into self-confidence. For that I shall always be grateful. Conservatism requires discipline and no one personified that better than Mr. Buckley. His conservatism was optimistic, assertive and gallant. I never had the pleasure but knowing he is gone makes the world seem a little less tolerable and heaven a little more inviting. Good bye to a man who was both an excellent servant and leader.
Nick Nicola
02/27 05:31 PM A Media Star I cannot label myself a conservative, but I am an appreciator of personalities of quality, and Bill Buckley's was larger than life. My reception to Bill was based on his offerings as a wit, host, and musician rather than as a polemecist. I hugely enjoyed his hosting of PBS' broadcast of 'Brideshead Revisited' in the early 80s, and his series of public debates, also on PBS, which was stimulating and courageous.
As a media persona, he deserves a star on Hollywood Blvd.
I applauded his wise and deserved criticism of President George W. Bush and his policies, and I was touched to see him in his latter days in a television segment, with his faithful dog at his side. His steady sense of self will be greatly missed. My condolences to the family.
Brian P. Bach 02/27 05:30 PM Godspeed As Newton is to science, Buckley is to humanity. Godspeed, WFB.
JMM 02/27 05:27 PM Land, ho! Eternity WFB taught me to think about the beauty of language, even if you're ripping the concept of guaranteed free health care to shreds. Emily Dickinson has also taught me similar lessons, and I found a poem of hers that reminded me of Mr. Buckley. May God bless him and his wife, and I thank him for educating me in ways he'll never know, unless I'm blessed to meet him in heaven. I hope to have that chance.
On this wondrous sea,
Sailing silently,
Knowest thou the shore
Ho! pilot, ho!
Where no breakers roar,
Where the storm is o'er?
In the silent west
Many sails at rest,
Their anchors fast;
Thither I pilot thee,—
Land, ho! Eternity
Ashore at last
Frank Frankston 02/27 04:31 PM Generous Beyond What is Required Having been a fan of Mr. Buckley from the time I started reading his newspaper columns as a teenager, I asked my folks to see if WFB would send me a birthday card. The folks sent a pre-paid stamped envelope with a card & hoped for the best. Much to our surprise, I received a birthday wish written on the inside flap of his then-new book, Gratitude. I still have that book & have always thought the gift summed up WFB's life so neatly: generous beyond what is required, interested in developing young conservatives, encouraging new ideas, & of course challenging one & all that "to whom much is given, much is expected."
Darren Lippe 02/27 04:28 PM Without Condescension or Didacticism For my entire political life, there was always William F. Buckley and his magazine, his wit, his humor, his zest for life and the cadre of amazingly thoughtful writers he assembled to help me sort through the issues of the day, decade and century. Over it all, he and his work, helped to guide me without condescension or didacticism into an adult way of thinking of the world, using logic to ponder the times and discern right from wrong.
Mr. Buckley was a fabulous example of how to combine life, religion and politics without forcing the wrong master into headship. He knew, without a doubt, Who to serve first. His is an example I shall miss deeply.
My inadequate condolences to you at NR & NRO, my deeper and more inadequate condolences to Christopher and his family. You are heartbroken and it can't be fixed.
Vivian Saavedra 02/27 04:27 PM I Will Most Miss the Charm I was deeply saddened to hear of WFB's passing this morning. Though I am only an undergraduate student, I can easily say that it was Bill Buckley who influenced my political beliefs more than any other. And my respect for him didn't end with politics. Having been raised on Long Island Sound by a nautical family, I took great joy in reading his accounts of his own often epic sailing experiences.
But what I'll miss most was his charm, coupled with the intellectual honesty only present in the greatest of men. R.I.P.
Nat Brown, Providence, RI 02/27 04:25 PM Young Americans for Freedom "William F. Buckley Jr.'s contributions to the American conservative movement will never be forgotten. He was the driving force behind so much of the conservative organizations, institutions and groups that are leading the debate and developing ideas and solutions to the important issues of today's era.
"Mr. Buckley's legacy will never be surpassed. He inspired generations of young people to stand up for conservatism through organizations like Young Americans for Freedom. He will be missed.
"Young Americans for Freedom offers its condolences to his family."
02/27 04:22 PM A Heavenly Harpsichord I remember, as a youth, my father mentioning this man named Buckley, a man of almost hypereloquence. And now I'm ashamed to say that it took me until graduate school (yes, we read him in graduate school—and in a positive light no less!) to dive into his books. But that initial foray was enough to get me hooked. Now I have a baby daughter, and I'm tempted to go out and buy a copy of God and Man at Yale, just so it's ready for her to read when she gets a little older.
I'm sure St. Peter has pulled out the heavenly harpsichord for Bill, and right now he's sitting at the keys, with Pat at his side.
Steve Pelton, Rochester, NY 02/27 04:20 PM Our Erasmus is Gone There were two people that helped me realized that I was truly a conservative about 20 years ago; Russell Kirk and William F, Buckley, Jr. Now both are gone. I owe them both more than I could ever repay. Mr. Buckley also had a very practical effect on my life. Inspired by him, in an effort to extend and sharpen my vocabulary, I keep notebooks filled with new words that I come across in my reading. I keep them in lists of ten words or phrases, and even test myself on them. I'm sure there is not a single word or phrase that I've ever added to my notebooks that Mr. Buckley didn't know. In so many ways, he gave us all something higher and better to aim for.
Our Erasmus is gone. But he will never be forgotten. Eternal rest give to him, O Lord. And may perpetual light shine on him. May he rest in peace. Amen.
John Fagan, Lemoyne, PA 02/27 04:19 PM Led By WFB A man, who through superior intellect and command of the English Language, was able to lead the horse to water and convince him why he needed to drink.
Mark Wilby
02/27 04:18 PM 33 years Ago Tomorrow... It was 33 years ago tomorrow — Feb. 28, 1975 — that a small and utterly inconsequential article I had written appeared in NR. A week later, I received a baby blue postcard in the mail...NR's address along the top... "Wm. F. Buckley, Jr., Editor" on the line below it. The card read: "Mr. Guaspari, Nice going. WFB"
Since I was just 24, it was probably the first time in my life that I had been referred to as "Mr." That it had come from "WFB" made it all the more memorable. That he had taken the time to send the card at all was, I gather, typical of a great man who understood the importance and power of a small kindness. That card has been framed and on the wall of whatever office I've since occupied. I've been glancing at it a lot today.
John Guaspari 02/27 04:17 PM Rest In Peace When I started dating the man I would eventually marry, he introduced me to the writings of William F. Buckley. Over the years, while I've never met him, Mr. Buckley became a dear friend through his many writings. I was just devastated on hearing of his death. While a great loss to us all, his memory will live on. My deepest sympathy and prayers to his family. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord. And may perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
Eileen Smith 02/27 04:15 PM Buckley's Love of Language At first the news shocks, then reality sets in. My conservative colleagues from around the country already have weighed in with tributes to the incomparable William F. Buckley, Jr. There is little I can add to their encomiums on what he meant to American conservatism. But I can share a more personal note: for me, Bill Buckley demonstrated a lifelong love affair with the English language. As a writer, I cherish his devotion to his craft, the example he set for those of us who earn our living cobbling together sentences and phrases in something comprehensible. He was the ultimate master, and a shining example for all of us to follow. May God embrace his loyal servant in his loving arms.
J. C. Hawkins, Saint Augustine, Florida 02/27 04:13 PM A Momentous Conservative Along with our brethren, please extend my own sympathies to Chris, his grandchildren, and the entire Buckley family. If there was a Conservative Mt. Rushmore, four figures would surely rest there- Reagan, Goldwater, Rush, and WFB. Without whom, the other three giants would not have emerged. He was as essential as oxygen to modern American conservatism. To this former Temple University student, his essays were among the influences in breaking me from liberalism. As a Catholic, I pray for the repose of his eternal soul. As a practicing conservative, I am bottomlessly grateful for his gigantic presence in shaping our movement. Rest in peace, dear mentor, in the company of your beloved Pat.
Gerard Einhaus
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