Remembering Russell Kirk
June 26, 2007| By DeEtte Chatterton
Speaking at the Heritage Foundation last week, scholar and noted author George Nash recounted Russell Kirk’s remarkable life and his essential conservative writings.
“On the issues that truly mattered, Russell Kirk stood his ground, and because he did, we his grateful heirs can carry on,” said Nash, one of the conservative movement’s foremost historians.
Kirk, one of the fathers of the modern conservative movement, maintained that “prudent change is the means of our preservation.” And indeed the life of Russell Kirk was spent inspiring the preservation of traditional values and prudence in change.
Named by President Ronald Regan as “the prophet of American conservatism,” Kirk dedicated his life to defining and promoting conservative thought in America. His work, Reagan said, was “a profound act of patriotism…in the defense of our values and our cherished civilization.”
Russell Kirk’s life mission is carried on by his wife, Annette Kirk, who helped organize this Heritage lecture in her husband’s honor. Mrs. Kirk is President of the Russell Kirk Center and continues to give lectures and seminars on the importance of her husband’s life and work.
DeEtte Chatterton is an intern at The Heritage Foundation.
