February 28, 2008

WFB: In Memoriam

William Buckley and Rev. Robert Sirico

Having been my father’s remote control, I recall one Sunday afternoon in the 1960s being told to stop and back up to the “educational channel,” as it was called.

The Sirico household were not big viewers of what was then Channel 13 in New York, so I wondered what my father was thinking.

I click over to the channel and my father said, “Sit down; you’ll learn something.”

Indeed, I did.

That was the first time I had heard or seen William F. Buckley, Jr., who died in his study on Wednesday while at work on yet another erudite page of insightful, urbane, and scintillating prose. Buckley (or Bill, as he almost insisted people call him) holds the record of sending me to the dictionary more than anyone I have ever read in the English language.

He was more than just a stylist. He was a thinker, and a very serious one. He made a mighty contribution to the intellectual culture—raising it as high as he possibly could and never becoming despondent when it refused to budge.

He will be lauded by numerous pendants and scribes for the incredible number of his accomplishments, preeminent of which is his historic role as godfather of the modern conservative/libertarian movement in the founding of the National Review.

He was also a decent harpsichordist, a sailing enthusiast, an avid skier, world traveler and adventurer, lover of Latin, and debater par excellence. If he could do all these things at once, which I am sure he attempted, all the better. All of which is to say that he loved life and lived it to the fullest.

When the time came for me to found the Acton Institute, I was concerned in the early years with establishing our credibility and I conjured up the idea to write Bill Buckley, whom I had met only once or twice in passing, and ask if he would consider being the inaugural speaker of what I’d hope would become an annual dinner.

To my utter amazement he promptly replied (he was always prompt in his replies) that yes, he would be delighted to come, waiving his usual five-figure speaking fee to launch us on our way. That was almost 20 years ago.

We remained in contact over those years, and he was always unfailingly supportive and gracious and, in fact, was a personal donor to our work.

My most memorable time with Bill was just ten years ago, in, of all places, Havana, Cuba. We were both there for the historic visit of John Paul, II. Meeting in the lobby of what had been the gangster Myer Lansky’s hotel on El Malecon, Bill asked if I would like to join him in exploring the city. Would I like to meander around Old Havana with the author of a novel about a spy who attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro? And have drinks with said novelist in Hemmingway’s old bar, mischievously attempting to order Cuba Libres? Would I like to help him negotiate (Buckley’s first language was Spanish) the black market purchase of Cuban cigars from a man we met on the street, who would take us to his cramped apartment to display his wares out of the view of prying eyes?

Would I like to explore the Old Cathedral and pray together there for freedom of that beleaguered land? And would I like to end the day with a delicious meal, smoking our cigars and laughing about having committed a capitalist act among consenting adults in one of the last bastions of socialism on the planet? Would I?

And so we did. It was one of the most unforgettable days of my life, a memory I will always treasure.

Buckley was one of those writers who could both inspire me in my own writing, and at times lead me to the precipice of despair in thinking that because I could never be as good a writer as he, I might just as well give up the craft.

Bill Buckley was as generous as he was intelligent, and as humorous as he was cultured. I suppose that one of the secrets I learned from Bill Buckley in building a movement for human freedom was to be encouraging of other efforts pulling in the same general direction.

He was a man of faith and principle and while I know he had many, many friends of far longer duration and of far greater intimacy than myself, I shall count it as one of the true blessings of my life to have been one of them.

In paradisum deducant te Angeli; in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem.

Comments

Martha Ramos Mims: mpjc@net1.net

My heart is still broken at the passing of this bright star. I have enjoyed, even as I envied, the personal remembrances of so many. Mr. Buckley always seemed like a kindred spirit. The world is dimmer now, but Heaven rejoices!

Ronnie Harris: harris@paulsjourney.org

Father Sirico,

It should come as little surprise to all that such a Giant like Mr. Buckley would be catalytic in your life... Few impressed me, as did he. I pray we all live so fully.

Mr Bongani: christcentre@christian.net

What count most is the gentlemen in Mr Buckely and the core fathers of faith with Rev Sirico. Mr Buckley let God put you in his bossom, rest in peace all the legacy of valuable teaching will grow this generation of teachers of the profound word

John Zink: zink@ionet.net

Thank you for your personal remembrances of WFB, especially, your Cuban experience. It is good to remember the man, not just the icon.

I started reading my father's copy of National Review in the late '50s, and plumbed it in some depth for high school debate information. When I left for engineering school at Notre Dame, I made sure I had my own subscription to National Review, then at some ridiculously low student subscription rate. Now, 47 years later, I am still a subscriber - but at a somewhat more elevated price point.

Buckley, the great sailor, always provided a steady hand on the tiller for the conservative movement. Besides praying for his soul, let us also pray for the soul of the conservative movement, that it maintains a true course.

William J. Wildern III: billwildern@hotmail.com

Cheers to you, Fr. Robert, for having initiated such a splendid tribute to this refulgently unique human being. The comments and stories furnished above of his goodness are excellent and fitting, and so enjoyable for the most part. Poor Mr. Reading, though. His prism needs checking.

WFB, Jr. must rank easily on the list of the top 10 Americans of the 20th century for his comprehensive and substantive contributions to the permanent things-- truth, goodness, and beauty. No small feat! National Review Magazine, and its boundless benefits rendered, are priceless to all the world's peoples. His legacy will be also. (Make that the top five Americans, and quite high on that list.)

For all who seek a bit more on this great figure of history, don't miss the next issue of National Review. And/or go to www.hillsdale.edu, where the works of William F. Buckley, Jr. are available online to you.

Requiescat in pace.

Mary Cunningham Agee: mcagee@msn.com

Dear Father Sirico,

Your eloquent tribute to our friend brought a smile of appreciation to my face.
Your father was surely correct ... we all learned a great deal from this erudite, courageous and charming man. What a blessing to have been on the planet at the same time.

Always in Christ, Mary Elizabeth

Father Sirico:

For those who have asked for the translation for In Paradisum, the hymn traditionally chanted at the Requiem Mass on behalf of one of the faithful departed at the final incensation of the casket:

"May angels lead you into Paradise; may the martyrs receive you at your coming and lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem."

I should have added the next line which is lovely:

"May a choir of angels receive you, and with Lazarus, who once was poor, may you have eternal rest."

James Reid: jasanreid@comcast.net

Although I remember well Mr. Buckley's run for mayor of New York City when I was living on Long Island in 1964, the only time I actually saw him was when he spoke at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where I was a student almost 50 years ago. My recollection is that his customary erudite vocabulary made his talk a little over the heads of the audience but that he began it by noting that his wife's grandfather had been sheriff of Waco.

Richard A. Sandell: ras@aura.com

I first arrived in the United States in January 1960 through the airport in Houston. I had an extraordinary experience there, that made me fall instantly in love with the United States. As I couldn't leave the airport right away because I had to be met by someone, I went to get a magazine in the hope that I could get some idea of what the U.S. was all about. I picked up a copy of NATIONAL REVIEW and I got an eyeful! From that day forward, William F. Buckley, Jr. became my political guru. I haven't stop reading NATIONAL REVIEW since and every time it comes home it is like greeting a life long friend whom I haven't seen for a lifetime (30 days can seem that long when the magazine is absent.) Unfortunately, I always read it in a couple of hours and now start getting annoyed that it is so short. Years later, I met Bill Buckley and it was one great moment to get to know such and extraordinary human being, urbane, witty and utterly charming. I met him thereafter several times at various events and every time I realized what a giant this man was. Now I feel sad for his having gone and happy for him that he went to a better place, join his beloved wife (whom I also met twice) and having him addressing the Almighty Father of us all and his angels.

nancy nadrich: duvlocka@aol.com

i read your article in the new york sun and was moved by what it said about mr. buckley (and you). not knowing latin, may i enquire what those final sentences translated say? thank you so much. a great gentleman, scholar and friend has left us.

Ed Feulner: ed.feulner@heritage.org

Dear Robert,

As I was sitting in my hotel room in Beijing and learned from an impersonal "urgent email alert" that WFB had passed away, I immediately remembered travels with him over the years in China and Europe. And now, 36 hours later, I feel that I am in two places: physically giving lectures here in China, but emotionally in shock as I think about his passing and his impact on my life and the ideas we share.

Of course, as you and I well know, he is in a better place.

Your tribute to our mutual friend was beautiful, and, obviously, heartfelt.

My first meeting with Bill was in 1964, at the organizing meeting of five of us to form the Philadelphia Society in NYC. Bill put up the first $100.00 in "seed capital" for that distinguished group. (I recount this in my own comments about Bill --Heritage.org) -- but I digress...

It was only last month that He sent me one of his wonderful letters, which said "We have built quite a following haven't we?" of course, it was Bill's following, and it was his life work for more than half a century. This particular note will always be a real family treasure, as it was like his own farewell note to all of us whom he led, and from whom we learned so much, and to whom we owe so much.

R.I.P., indeed.

Thank you, my dear friend, for sharing your wonderful personal Cuban insights with all of us.

It is lonely out here, but I will be back early next week to an America that will be less because of Bill's passing.

I hope to see you soon. In haste. Cheers. Ed

Richard E . Derby: rderby@rvanderlind.com

He was the only person I never got tired of listening to. He will be greatly missed !

John Reading: johnreading@frontiernet.net

Buckley was a condscending authoritarian whose main talent seemed to be that of finding uncommon words where common ones would have done nicely. He did nothing for the cause of freedom and everything in his rhetorical power to promote superstitious authoritarian government. His talent for debate was only a talent for word-gaming and smug attitude. His death puts an end to a life of irrational nonsense.

Gene:

Mr. Sirico, along with the mainstream press, seems determined to ignore the role cigars played in Buckley's emphysema and untimely death, a role Buckley bitterly bemoaned in a widely-circulated column he wrote just 3 months ago:

"Half a year ago my wife died, technically from an infection, but manifestly, at least in part, from a body weakened by 60 years of nonstop smoking. I stayed off the cigarettes but went to the idiocy of cigars inhaled, and suffer now from emphysema, which seems determined to outpace heart disease as a human killer.

"Stick me in a confessional and ask the question: Sir, if you had the authority, would you forbid smoking in America? You'd get a solemn and contrite, Yes.

--Buckley, William F. Jr., "My Smoking Confession" NY Sun, Dec. 3, 2007.

http://www.nysun.com/article/67349

Gary D. Glenn: gglenn@niu.edu

Thank you Father Sirico for remembering Mr. Buckley fittingly, in both substance and wit. One can hear him chuckling as he read it on the heavenly internet; or perhaps as he heard it from St. Peter who may have first access to the terminals. I am unsure of the heavenly protocols on these matters.
I thought your focus on your experience with him on your Cuban holiday was especially appropriate. Sometimes our love of ideas can lead to an undue focus on the permanent and abstract and incline us to forget flesh and blood, which is neither. Relating your particular experience with the concrete man fleshed out appropriately ideas he thought and championed.
Thank you also for the prayer from the old Catholic burial service. It brought back to me the consolation it once gave at the loss of long gone family and friends. That prayers' propriety was not only in its' substance but in its' embodiment in the ancient language of the Church which he loved.
We have much to be grateful for both in that he was given to us and in the manner of your remembrance of that gift.
Gary D. Glenn

Roy Alexander Chileshe Ph.D.: chilesher@cbu.ac.zm

Thank you Fr. Sirico for a well composed In Memoriam in respect of William Buckley. His influence as a champion of freedom will continue to be with us here in Africa through his writings.

albertchampion:

BILL BUCKLEY.....it was mentioned that he succumbed to emphysema. was buckley a smoker of cigarettes?

if so, it would appear as if he hid that addiction quite successfully[unlike his friend, bill bennet].

in his dotage, after the "conservative" movement passed into some form of virulent "statism", it would appear as if he commenced upon a reflection of that evolution that he energized.

contrary to what some think, bill was never a conservative. he was an erstwhile aristocrat...a plutocrat.

deep down in his soul, he always believed that money/wealth was the finest discriminator of importance. though he was a catholic, his real god was mammon.

he was a conservative only in the sense that he wanted to conserve the governance of the united states of amerika for the control of the plutocracy. and understanding that, he was a reactionary...his love was for the united states in its infancy, when the ownership of property was the entitlement to constitutional "rights"[i.e, the right to vote]. essentially, his objective was to aristocratize the united states of amerika: to restore it to a britanic social model without a parliament. a monarchist?

well, he had a quick wit and a great thesaurus. but he was no conservative. that he styled himself as one reveals his charlatan nature. he was, as is his successor[rush limbo], a performer. and for a segment of the marketplace, a damn good one. it continues to astonish me how many people i know/knew who relished his skewering of individuals with a different take on the usa.

with rare exception, what i found painful was to listen to his opponents being so inept.

but in the main, they were all "statists" arguing over who would be best able to control the electorate.

it was never any deeper than that.

so i say, requiescat in pacem. and i wish that i could have said that 40+ years ago.

oh, one thing about bill that needs be said, he had a great love for the works of bach. but i recall he denounced glenn gould, then praised wanda landowska. go figure? i suppose gould's vision of bach was too heretical for the aristocratic bill buckley.

i almost forgot, bill had a brother, jim. and, i speculate that jim and bill conspired to radically alter the dimensions of what constitutes "free speech".

it was jim buckley versus vallejo that resulted in a fascist supreme court equating dollars with speech.

the plutocrats' wetdreams come true. and the buckleys were responsible.

the unassailable establishment of BIG BROTHER stems from this decision.

this was the decision that drove the dagger deeper, killing a federal republic. which would now metastasize into into a dictatorship of the monied.

so, thinking on the buckleys in that respect, i think of the ancient bedouin curse.....

may a camel sit on the bones of you and your ancestors. forever.

Tom Pyle: thpyle@alumni.princeton.edu

When I was a callow youth, I remember William F. Buckley running for mayor in New York in 1966. At the time I was a Lindsay man, er, boy. Buckley was then an impossibly right-wing retrograde, because I was then an impossibly righteous liberal. I would catch glimpses of him on Firing Line on WOR-TV, one of those skip-over shows on the channel of the Mets, likewise losers all.

Many years passed, and I found myself in the early 90s out in Hong Kong as a striving commercial banker. WFB had just come out of China on a delegation led by Governor Pete DuPont, who gave a speech at the American Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong. Buckley was at the head table at the Furama Hotel, and jocular reference was made to his curiosity at the opening of China as proof positive of the principles of triumphant conservatism.

After the lunch I went over to introduce myself. I told him of a very moving moment which he and I shared in March, 1980 in New York. In the 70s I fell into the slipstream of Congressman Allard Lowenstein, the force of nature behind the Dump Johnson movement. As for so many righteous young liberals, Al was my champion. I came to know Al reasonably well amidst the 1972 McGovern campaign, when he raged against the Democratic machine of John Rooney in the Brooklyn's 14th district. I also came to know of what then seemed to me the most improbable friendship of Al with Bill.

Lowenstein was assassinated in his Rockefeller Center law office in March 1980. I attended Al's funeral in Central Synagogue, which was packed out the front doors and onto Madison Avenue with Al's innumerable acolytes. I was very lucky to have a seat up front. The cantor intoned a most doleful dirge. Coretta Scott King graced the temple. Peter, Paul and Mary sang a song. Then the many eulogists spoke: Harry Chapin, Ted Kennedy, Andrew Young, Pete McCloskey, Lowenstein's nephew. And Bill Buckley, who spoke last, and was the most moving. I was so taken by his eulogy that I wrote to him later to ask for a copy. Amazingly he actually sent one to me. I will never forget his eloquent closing lines: "Who was the wit who said that Nature abhors a vacuum. Let Nature then fill this vacuum. That is the challenge which, bereft, the friends of Allard Lowenstein hurl up to Nature and to Nature's God, prayerfully, demandingly, because today, Lord, our loneliness is great."

When I was in Hong Kong, my outlook on life started to change, at just about the time Buckley came through. Perhaps it was an omen of Providence. I grew to have more interest in--and appreciation for--WFB's life work. I tempered my liberal zeal to a more realistic economic pragmatism. I began a faith journey that ultimately took me from atheism to the Catholic Church. I even became a Republican! I had changed. All the while Buckley was steadfast (though I've been amused by the unconfirmed rumor that he dabbled later with marijuana).

I became mindful of the ditty attributed to Mark Twain about maturing perspectives that could certainly apply to my late found WFB devotion: "When I was 20, I couldn't believe what an ignoramus my father was. By the time I was 40, I was amazed how much he [sic] had learned..."

God bless Bill Buckley. Requiescat In Pace.

Rollin Van Broekhoven: HonRVanB@cs.com

A wonderful personal portrait of an amazing man, whose influence will continue for many years through his published writings, ideas, and the work of faithful disciples. Thank you, Fr. Sirico

Steve D: steved7@earthlink.net

Thanks Fr. Sirico for sharing your reminiscences of Bill Buckley. Growing up in NYC in the '60s and '70s, I remember him well, and as an early convert to free market capitalism, federalism, and limited government respected him for being one of the most erudite, insightful, and respected voices for those concepts in an era when most New Yorkers thought the future was to be secular, socialist, and Democratic. He was the epitome of the thinking, caring conservative. His contributions to the development of modern conservative thought (what sadly today might better be recognized as "paleo-conservatism") were essential to its recovery from the unfortunately failure of the Goldwater effort and the eventual success of the Reagan movement.

Bruce Richards: brucerqb@comcast.net

I owe Fr. Sirico a debt of gratitude for being the agent that allowed me to shake hands and listen to Mr. Buckley and Russell Kirk through Acton Institute events, we will all be able to continue knowing these giants who changed the world by reading thier works and learning from thier experience.

I was in 8th grade in a Grand Rapids Public School when, during an assignment involving "designing an ideal city", I broke out in laughter in class reading Buckley's "The Unmaking of a Mayor". The teacher, also the teacher union representative, confiscated my copy and called it trash. From that moment on, I could not get enough of Firing Line, the National Review, and a world beyond what easy conventional political thought held.

W.F.B. was certainly the exception to Lord Acton's dictum that "Great men are almost always bad men."

Jim Healy: jph-pac

Bill Buckley, as leader of the Conservtive Party in New York during the Goldwater campaign in 1964, was astute enough to realize that most of us Conservative Party members should maintain our Republican voter registration, so we could vote for conservative candidates in Republican primary elections. His principled leadership inspired a whole new generation of young conservatives to get involved in politics. One of his most sublime comments was uttered during the New York mayoralty campign during which he was asked what he would first do upon being elected: "Demand a recount!"

Robert H. Caldwell:

I remember reading his book aoubt sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, or "The Big One" as he called it. I believe the title of the book was AIBORNE. At the beginning of one chapter he told the reader to skip that chapter if he was not interested in celestial navigation. In the chapter he described in plain English exactly how use the shortcuts provided by the Air Almanac as opposed to the Nautical Almanac and all the procedures necessary to determine one's latitude and longitude at sea. It was perfect. One has to have a marvelous command of the language and an appreciation for the limits of a student to do what he did in that chapter. It was a classic.

Mark Sofman: mark.sofman@comcast.net

Father Sirico:

A very nice In Memoriam to WFB. Nicely done.

Regards,

William Eberwein: Editing Buckley

I met a friend of Mr. Buckley's, Van Galbraith, at a picnic back in 91 or 92. When dessert was served, he took out a sheaf of paper, and began busily scribbling. "What are you working on?" I asked. He was going to do a little skit written by Buckley about George Bush, Sr. and the upcoming election. The host had just asked him to cut 2 minutes, if possible, due to time constraints of some guests, and he engaged me to help him. I offered some suggestions on where to nip and tuck, and still keep the set-up for the punch lines.

"Yes, good, right!" said Van, flourishing his red pen.

The skit came off famously, framed by a lovely late afternoon in the redwoods, fine wine, and good company.

On the long drive home, it struck me. "I don't believe it!" I nearly shouted. My wife, startled awake, said, "What?"

I took my time, relishing the thought, "I just edited William F. Buckley, Jr.!"

She smiled. "You have to tell him. He'd love that!"

So I wrote to Mr. Buckley, care of National Review. I never expected to get a reply. But a week or so later, a letter came, in classic Buckley-esque brevity; one could almost hear his voice, "Charming story. Well done. Hope you don't mind if I share this with Van. Regards, WFB."

I treasure the letter, and still regard myself as an honorary editor of National Review.

Amb. Curtin Winsor, Jr. : Ambcurt@aol.com

Bill Buckley should be remembered as a life well lived, who did great service to the posterity of our Western civilization. His seminal thinking raised high the banner of modern conservative thought. It catalyzed the ideas of over two generations of thinkers and activists.

When all is said and done, his greatest legacy will be those who were formed and persuaded by his ideas and the fire of his beliefs, and who will carry them forward. May our lives carry some of the sparkle and substance of Bill Buckley's beliefs into the future and pass them on to the next generation.

DUANE V. TEWINKEL: supergramps.duane@gmail.com

1964 was the year and Barry Goldwater the man of the hour. At 20 years of age and on my first enlistment in the Air Force I was introduced to Bill and Barry and Ronnie the champion of conservative Republicans. I was even old enough to vote that year but some of us loudly proclaimed the righteousness of the 3 giants of the conservative movement. Three of my political heroes now and for ever. May their legacy live on and continue to flourish.

I already had a love for the written and spoken word but Bill Buckley introduced me to a whole new world of words and nuances and the joys of English.

Fr. Robert Carroll, O. Carm, Ph.D.: FrBob@Carmelhs.org

I went off to Mt. Carmel College in Ontario Canada in 1961 and soon found that my guide in matters politic and Catholic would be National Review and it was a sustaining force because I was surrounded by lots of liberals. I especially appreciated Bill Buckley's spirituality and connection with faith especially with regard to all the great issues of our times - the need for social justice, free economic opportunity, care for each other in a hurting world, the defeat of forms ot totalitarianism, the worth of the individual, the need for a transcendent value system, and the place of religious insight in the midst of a questioning world. Where else could I come across such clear statements of beauty - in music, our planet, literature, art, political life, etc. other than National Review. I have read it with gusto for 47 years and it has shaped my positive outlook on life, my appreciation of the wonderful country we live in, and accelerated my belief in the God who loves us. His life has had a great influence on my own... and I am just one reader. Thank you Bill Buckley!

Donald R. May, MD, FACS: donaldrmay@sbcglobal.net

William F. Buckley, Jr. was one of the foremost Conservative thinkers of the 20th Century and founder of National Review. He was a good man who had an agreeable word for everyone.

We mourn, for we have lost a great champion of freedom.

Donald R. May, MD, FACS
Lubbock, Texas

"Mr. Conservative"
http://www.lubbockonline.net/blogs/conservative/index.php

Andrew Clearfield: amclearfield@comcast.net

I must have been a cocksure pre-adolescent in the very early 1960s when I first heard of William Buckley: a conservative intellectual? How could that be? The prevailing left-wing orthodoxy was so strong, and there were no other exemplars, or at least none in the public eye—it would be years before I heard of another. Insistence upon innovation was thought to be a sure sign of intellectual superiority, and Buckley was opposed to all that. But he sounded so brilliant! In 1964 the only moments when I would feel uncomfortable in my condescension to the whole conservative thing was when William Buckley would discuss his reasons for supporting Goldwater—cogently, wittily, good-naturedly, and in polysyllabic utterances. I guess that by the time I went off to college I knew, even if I didn't yet agree with his politics, that I always had wanted to sound like that. Even my radical friends always had to admit that he was urbane and witty. We were just too stupid then to realize how important urbanity and wit could be.

In grad school, even at the feet of those whom WFB famously said would be less capable of governing the country than the first 100 names in the phone book, my resistance to his ideas began to weaken (although I may still have more admiration for the Harvard faculty than he did!) and I sometimes read the NR surreptitiously. By 1980, mugged by reality more than once, I was finally converted to Mr. Buckley's brand of conservatism. What surprised me even more, I became converted to his religion as well: not just Roman Catholicism, but traditional Roman Catholicism. Conservatism had captured the White House and eventually took Congress, but culture wars remained to be fought and won. The NR became important to me as an organ of thought, a place where Bach and humanistic ideals were as important as free markets. In the increasingly acrimonious and vapid national debate between conservatives and so-called "progressives," NR was a beacon cutting through the murk, one of the few places which kept straight the distinction between conservatism and the right to sell your grandmother to a glue factory. WFB could always be counted upon to be independent-minded and thoughtful, and so was the journal he had founded and inspired.

It is one of the great disappointments of my life that I never got to meet Mr. Buckley. One of my assistants knew him and had sailed the Atlantic with him, and I begged to be introduced, but nothing ever came of it. I felt and feel that I missed encountering one of the greatest forces of the age. A prophet, a charismatic leader, a great proselytizer, a shining example to the rest of us, a charmer, and yet still, by the accounts of all who knew him, a good man, a nice man, a happy man, a good and faithful Christian. To few is it given to live the sort of fortunate life he led, and to still fewer to make the sort of difference to the world which he has made. To almost none has it been given to combine the two. Dona eis requiem sempiternam, Domine.

Andrew Clearfield
Glen Ridge, New Jersey

Michael Ostin: mostin@charter.net

My first exposure to Mr. Buckley was on television. My father made me watch him. I learned a great deal. As I began to read his books, I found I needed a dictionary at my side. So I must thank him for my expanded vocabulary.

As a Catholic, I am constantly engaging in debates (most of the time with other Catholics) about whether or not a Catholic can be a conservative. William F. Buckley gave me limitless ammunition for these debates.

Like the writer above, I too saw the ads for Hillsdale in National Review, and currently have a son attending there. All of his writings are available at Hillsdale, a school supported in many ways by Mr. Buckley.

Although I never met him, I feel as if I did. He had, and will continue to have, an enormous influence on my life. I will miss him. We all will miss him. I offer my prayers for him and his family.

Rev. Clyde Bowie: cbowiejr@verizon.net

I too was moved by the death of Mr. Buckley. Along with Ronald Reagan, he was my conservative father. I remember my own father extolling the worth of his thoughts and show, as he religiously watched it in the sixties. In the eighties when I began to thaw from the frozen delusions of youthful extremes, Bill Buckley through "National Review," was the one who turned up the heat! His pungent analysis and gang of conservative writers began to color in the gaps in my thinking. But more than intellectual paint, it was a movement they called me into; a revolution! They gave me strength and ammunition. Most importantly, Mr. Buckley's leadership gave me confidence and hope. Through him, I could dare to imagine that I could outsmart and convert our leftist, liberal establishment after all. I am truly grateful to him. I will miss him. Oh, how hard it is to let the great ones go. I am happy for him though, for through his faith in Chirst, his struggle is over and his heavenly life has begun. I can imagine him sailing into some sublime sea with his beloved Pat, enjoying the communion of a world that finally gets it right, in the glory of our Lord!
Clyde Bowie

Matthew Carolan: matthew.carolan@gmail.com

Many people will celebrate Bill's not insignificant intellectual and cultural accomplishments. But, as you have hit on here, and as I remember well, he had a remarkable and surprising generosity of spirit for such an accomplished, celebrated man.

I had the pleasure of working for WFB for five years at National Review magazine -- not as one of the literary luminaries either. Yet, I was the beneficiary of many generous acts on his part:

Invitations to join the sailing crew on jaunts around the Long Island Sound, or to dinner parties.
Mid-year salary increases to help me pay my bills.
Autographs on books for friends.
Or, just taking the time to seriously consider and respond to my ideas.

To a young writer trying to find his way in the world, these acts of kindness gave me confidence and a sense of belonging, and laid the foundation for future success.

Bill's Christian charity and welcoming spirit, whether that be directed to employees, strangers or even political and cultural opponents, were surely some of his greatest accomplishments.

R.I.P. Bill.

Kurt O'Keefe: koklaw@gmail.com

Back when I had more time to devote to intellectual pursuits, when I was 14 years old, in 1968, I subscribed to National Review. As the Republican capitalist son of a stockbroker, endorsing the ideology of freedom was always an upstream battle with my contemporaries, teachers, the culture and media.
I was sustained for many years by the philosophy and arguments of Buckley and his magazine, confirming many times that I was not, as it so often seemed, alone.
He helped me get through my four years in the People's Republic of Ann Arbor. I saw him debate a liberal Democrat there, and though I cannot recall his precise words, I remember the feeling of being inspired to my core by his articulation of the morality of capitalism and classical liberal philosophy.
With the internet and talk radio, the Acton Institute, there are many sources for information and arguments advancing religion and liberty.
But when Bill Buckley started National Review, and for many years thereafter, he was it.
It cannot always have been easy for him, yet he always handled himself with grace, even when surrounded by opponents.
I believe his life proves that one person can make a difference.
He made enormous contributions to the continuation of the best of Western Civilization. His legacy lives on, yet he will surely be missed.

Anne Decker: tdecker860@aol.com

I believe the translation is this:
May the Angels conduct you to Paradise: And at your coming may the Martyrs receive you. May they lead you to the holy City of Jerusalem.

mark meirowitz: markmeirowitz@aol.com

Could someone please translate the latin phrase at the end of Father Sirico's wonderful essay

Ken Larson: ken@reenchantment.net

Like Fr. Sirico I stumbled onto Mr. Buckley on tv. Those were days of Allister Cooke hosting Omnibus and women reporters on Meet the Press wearing white gloves as they asked Mr. Kennedy about the "missile crisis." Alas, even with a panel they couldn't find the truth.

That's a far cry from William F. Buckley once you or any subject was in his sights.

When I was in college he visited the small state school in Southern California to take on a sort of regional liberal ikon named Louis Lomax. The encounter was appropriately held in the gym and his skill in dismantling poor Mr. Lomax was evident but not fully understood by me at the time. So began a long, sometime interrupted subscription but never ending fondness for National Review. First Things and other journals compete with NR now, but I do owe it "big time" for alerting me to a little college in Michigan in that it was on the pages of NR that I saw the ads for Hillsdale; and eventually and much later on have a daughter attending that school. WFB also touted ISI -- a Buckley friend -- and it is there I direct friends wondering what to do about college and their kids.

Buckley's is a legacy of unmeasureable proportions for me and I imagine for anyone whose life was touched by the man. As the WSJ notes in their tribute: ave atque vale. And it certainly was.

Mr. Buckley was one of the great minds of our era. He was a true Renaissance man. He will be sorely missed

Acton Commentary

WFB: In Memoriam

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WFB: In Memoriam

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