William F. Buckley, Jr. has died...

[Dana in OR]

I am stunned. What a loss.

http://www.nationalreview.com/

[sdWTMer]

I agree. Very sad day.

[Liz CA]

I am stunned. What a loss.

http://www.nationalreview.com/

nt

[*anj*]

Wow. I am shocked and sad. I can't quite put my finger on why I'm feeling such a punch in the stomach over this.

[Plaid Dad]

It really does feel like the end of an era, doesn't it? :(

[*anj*]

It really does feel like the end of an era, doesn't it? :(

Yes, I think that's it.
Obviously public figures die all the time, but some affect me more than others. My elderly relatives have mostly died off (meaning those who are 20+ years older than my parents) and the feeling is similar, though different.

[Suzannah]

Awww, how sad! I know what you mean about some public figures affecting you more than others when they pass away. I saw him speak several times, once at my alma mater, Harding University. He will be missed.

[Karenciavo]

Very sad. I can't imagine who could fill his shoes. I love this quote from John Derbyshire, "(The National Review), like its founder, is opinionated, but generous to opponents; thoughtful, without being intellectual in the self-conscious, self-absorbed European sense; tolerant, but within firmly declared boundaries; spiced with humor and mild satire, but never frivolous; taking politics seriously, as a domain of great events and great responsibilities, yet never thinking that politics should dominate human affairs; never losing sight of the high ideals of our Western civilization.”

I grew up watching Firing Line (ah, the days before cable :)) I'll miss him.

[sdWTMer]

You went to Harding? Hmmm. I have a cousin in law who is a professor there and plenty of family members on dh side that went there too. Actually my cousins live right across the street.

[Amy in NH]

Oh, gosh. I'm so, so ignorant.

WHO?

His name sounds familiar, like I should know who he is.

[Amy in NH]

Hey! That did it! My ignorance paid off and now I'm a Honeymaking Bee!!! :D

[Jennifer in NH]

It saddened me as well.
Amy, as far as who he is...well, I guess he could be viewed as the father of the post WWII conservative movement. He was 82. I think it saddened me more than it should because my elderely father passed away 6 months ago, so quite a few deaths have been getting to me more than usual. That being said, I really liked William Buckley.

[sdWTMer]

Amy in NH,

He's considered like a father of the conservative movement. I don't know I guess that Milton Friedman would have been before him. But he's pretty close anyway.

[OhM]

Wow. I am shocked and sad. I can't quite put my finger on why I'm feeling such a punch in the stomach over this.

Anj, you summed up just how I felt when I saw the picture and headline today. I've read so many of his remembrances of friends and colleagues in recent years. It's hard to imagine that anyone will be able to do him justice.

[Patty Joanna]

I thought this tribute was about as high as praise can go to indicate a life well lived; I don't remember who wrote it:

He was a great man who was also a good man (not many can pull this off), and he was sweet and merry.

RIP.