As a teenager in the 1960s, I
was influenced greatly by conservative author, editor, TV host and newspaper columnist William
F. Buckley.
I read his newspaper columns,
his magazine National Review and his many books, including his sailing books and his fine series of
spy thrillers. I was also a faithful viewer of his TV show, Firing Line.
I’m thankful that I was able to review two of his books for the
Philadelphia Inquirer. One was on President Ronald Reagan and the other was his last
thriller. He was still alive when my review of Last Call for Blackford Oates appeared, and I hope
he read it.
Ed Feuler offers a look back at
the late, great William F. Buckley in the Washington Times.
Last
week was a homecoming for me. But it was something more. On Oct. 18, I was in Chicago
to receive the annual William F. Buckley Prize for Leadership in Political
Thought. On the occasion of this great honor, I couldn’t help reflecting on the
fact that we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us.
Conservatives owe a huge debt to Bill
Buckley. He didn’t just start a magazine when he founded
National Review in 1955. He planted a flag for many of us who bristled at the
liberal orthodoxy then prevalent in American society.
The books that followed, along
with his hosting television’s “Firing Line” for 33 years, showed how the tenets
of conservative weren’t something that had to be consigned to history books and
musty tomes. They were eternally true. They could — and should — be applied to
the issues of the day.
For so many of us, the philosophy
of freedom found its voice in Bill
Buckley and its platform in National Review.
It soon became clear that Bill
was developing not just a readership, but a national movement. NR was not
simply another journal, but a political act.
We intend, wrote Bill
to a prospective supporter, “to revitalize the conservative position” and
“influence the opinion-makers” of the nation.
… But
Bill’s influence went beyond his landmark magazine. His biography itself is
conservatism’s history.
You can
read the rest of the piece via the below link:
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/oct/22/remembering-william-f-buckleys-pivotal-role-in-the/
You can
also read my Philadelphia Inquirer reviews of Mr. Buckley’s books below:
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