William F. Buckley, Jr. Was A Joy To Listen To

I would be remiss if I did not mention the death of William F. Buckley, Jr. today.  As a teenager I found myself watching his “Firing Line” program, and was in awe that someone could have such a rich and diverse vocabulary.  And use all the words in such a way that the ordinary sentence was almost poetry.  While listening to his program I would learn new words for my own usage.  When was the last time anyone said that about a television program? 

I know of very few people on television that could ever match his intellectual power.  While his political point of view was often in sharp contrast to mine I was never able to stop listening to the way he spoke.  Even years later, in the occasional interview on televison, I would be drawn to his slightly elitist charm and world-class intelligence.

Many years ago in an interview he commented that he always was writing and working on the issues that confronted the nation, and challenged his mind.  That struck me as a noble way to live part of ones life.  As CNN reports, Buckley died doing what he enjoyed.

Buckley died while at work,” said Kathryn Jean Lopez, editor of the National Review Online, in a written statement. “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.”

I guess the best programs he ever did on the air, in my estimation, were the debates that he orchestrated and helped star in.  Powerful thinkers engaged in serious dialogue on issues that mattered.  Sadly, much has passed over the years, including the art of debate without rancor.

We always say when the big names such as William F. Buckley pass away, that we will not see their kind again.

In this case it is true.

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