William F. Buckley JR - VIP

On November 24^th William F. Buckley 

would have celebrated his 94^th birthday. 

We lost him in 2008 at the age of 83.

While many of his perspectives were impossible to embrace, his absence has left us with the loss of dignified, civilized discussion and debate.  His point of view was seldom driven by blind loyalty to partisanship or tribalism.  His hatred for hatred was written about extensively.  His criticism of those aligned with his movement could be harsh while his praise for those who disagreed with him could be lavish.

There were, to be sure, those perspectives that were oh so refreshing and so elating that they were easy to acquiesce to, as were his wit, his wisdom on our culture and his joyful expressions as to life’s greatest rewards and blessings.

Education:

Ø Began formal schooling in Paris

Ø Learned to speak English at a day school in London

Ø Calvert School of Baltimore’s Homeschool Curriculum

Ø Jesuit preparatory school at St. John’s Beaumont in England

Ø Millbrook School in Millbrook, New York – Graduated in 1943

Ø Yale University – 1945 - Graduated with honors in 1950

Ø Fluent in three languages; English, French and Spanish

Ø Played the harpsichord and was an accomplished pianist

Ø Possessed a command of the English language and most

  especially its vocabulary that will never be equaled

Led a widespread and accepted political movement that greatly 

influenced political thought within late twentieth century America.

Ø Publisher:        Founded the National Review Magazine in 1955

Ø Columnist:      “On The Right” syndicated column appeared

                   in more than 320 newspapers nationwide.

Ø Author:            Penned Fifty-Seven books from non-fiction on

                politics/public affairs, history, and sailing

               to fictional spy novels.

Ø Television:  v   Hosted “Firing Line” an Hour Long Weekly PBS

                 Public Affairs talk and interview program. Buckley

                 hosted 1,429 episodes from 1966 to 1999 making

                 the show the longest-running public affairs television  

                 program in the history of television broadcasting.

v  Made Guest appearances on all the widely popular talk

 shows and entertainment venues (The Tonight Show,

 Laugh-In and etc.) of the era.   

Ø Public Office:   Ran in the1965 Mayoral Race in New York City

v Ran as a Third Party Candidate 

v Opposed Abraham Beame and John Lindsay. 

v Lindsay Proved Victorious.

Ø Tours:        v Worldwide Public Speaking Appearances

v Guest Lecturer at American Colleges and Universities

v Masterful Debater-Television/Various Open Forums

Buckley was a moderate by today’s Insanity; i.e. he was one of the primary architects in discrediting the John Birch Society which in contemporary times has reinvented itself under the banner of The Tea Party and has gained acceptance within the modern day Republican Party.

As we have evolved over the course of recent years it has become apparent that every American should feel some sense of loss in Buckley’s absence.  The most important ideal he demonstrated for us today is that people can hold to differing political and religious beliefs and still respect and admire one another.  He validated time and again what the good nuns tried so very hard to teach; “Hate the sin not the sinner.”

While eleven years since his passing feels like yesterday, those same years, with respect to our loss in what this remarkable man provided, feels like an eternity.  His writings and teachings should, in some manner, perpetually guide our thinking.