William F. Buckley, Jr.
Universal Press Syndicate Remembers Bill Buckley
Kansas City, MO (02/27/2008) John McMeel, president of Andrews McMeel Universal (AMU) and long-time friend of William F. Buckley called him a journalist of insight and intellect.
Breaking news on the New York Times Web site this morning at 11:04 a.m. ET reported that William F. Buckley Jr. died at 82. Buckley's office later confirmed this.
"I'll always remember Bill as a great man of words with a tremendous sense of humor," says McMeel. AMU's syndicate division, Universal Press Syndicate, distributed Buckley's "National Review" columns for almost 30 years. "He had such presence when he walked into a room and a grasp of history and current events unsurpassed by few. In fact, I always had to prepare for a couple of hours before meeting with Bill, like I was cramming for a college exam. His intellect and insight were incredible and I'll never forget his talent. If I could say anything to him now, it would simply be: ‘Thank you.'"
Buckley's long-time UPS Editor Alan McDermott has his memories, too. "I recall once asking Frances Bronson, Bill Buckley's delightful longtime assistant, about an unusual turn of phrase in one of Bill's columns. 'Oh, darling,' she said with a laugh, 'that's a Buckleyism.' How privileged I have been for more than two decades to have edited so many columns full of 'Buckleyisms.' Editing his column was similar to having a spirited conversation with a witty, insightful acquaintance. I sat up a little straighter when I was working on his column and discussing any questions I had with Bill's editors at National Review. He made us rise to the occasion. His keen mind and elegant prose created an inimitable column," says McDermott.
Universal Press Syndicate prepared a Q&A with Buckley in honor of his 25th year of syndication with UPS that was published on Sept. 20, 2004. Buckley celebrated a distinguished career that has greatly influenced American conservatism and how the subject of politics is covered.
Also, just posted on The National Review's Web site:
William F. Buckley Jr. (1925-2008) [by Kathryn Jean Lopez]
I'm devastated to report that our dear friend, mentor, leader, and founder William F. Buckley Jr., died this morning in his study in Stamford, Connecticut.
He died while at work; if he had been given a choice on how to depart this world, I suspect that would have been exactly it. At home, still devoted to the war of ideas.
As you might expect, we'll have much more to say here and in NR in the coming days and weeks and months. For now: Thank you, Bill. God bless you, now with your dear Pat. Our deepest condolences to Christopher and the rest of the Buckley family. And our fervent prayer that we continue to do WFB's life's work justice.
Declared a "national institution" by the Chicago Tribune, Buckley has established a well-deserved reputation as one of this country's most accomplished political analysts, critics and debaters. His Universal Press Syndicate column, On the Right, has been bringing his lively, eloquently written conservative analyses of current events to newspaper readers since 1962.
In a career that has taken him from Yale to the United Nations and into politics and journalism, Buckley has earned some of America's highest honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, an American Book Award, an Emmy Award and numerous others. He is a Fellow of the Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi, and has received numerous honorary degrees.
Founder of National Review, the lively and respected journal of conservative thought and opinion, Buckley also gained acclaim as host of the long-running weekly debate program "Firing Line." The program, which ended its 33-year run on television in 1999, featured such distinguished guests as George Bush, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, John Kenneth Galbraith, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, Barry Goldwater, Germaine Greer, Edward Heath, Henry Kissinger, the Dalai Lama, Norman Mailer, Groucho Marx, James Michener, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Theodore White and Tom Wolfe.
Buckley has written more than 40 books, including God and Man at Yale, Saving the Queen, Up From Liberalism, Airborne and most recently, Spytime: The Undoing of James Jesus Angleton. He has contributed articles to most major American publications, including Architectural Digest, Art & Antiques, The Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, Foreign Affairs, Harper's, Life, The New Republic, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Playboy, The Saturday Evening Post and Yachting.
Born in New York City in 1925, Buckley spent his early school years in England and France. He graduated with honors from Yale in 1950. He and his wife, Patricia, have been married for more than 50 years and have a son, Christopher.
