I recently took my two teenage sons to a talk by Frank Kravetz, a 90-year-old World War II veteran who survived Hitler’s Nuremberg prisons. Frank published his story in a memoir, Eleven Two: One WWII Airman’s Story of Capture, Survival … Continue reading
As we celebrate Veterans Day this year, it is instructive to consider the contributions of our presidents to our nation’s defense and military. Of America’s 43 presidents, 31 have served in the military. Ten, most notably George Washington, Andrew Jackson, … Continue reading
Editor’s note: Another version of this article first appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. My cousin Drew is a 45-year-old veteran of the first Gulf War (1991), which he served aboard a battleship in the Persian Gulf. A former high school … Continue reading
Editor’s note: Dr. John A. Sparks is the retired Dean of the Calderwood School of Arts & Letters at Grove City College. He is one of the co-founders of The Center for Vision & Values and worked regularly with Dick … Continue reading
America has lost a class act—pure old school, a gentleman, the kind of old-time conservative intellectual the movement once had in spades. He was also a longtime good friend of the Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College, … Continue reading
By Steven F. Hayward, Paul Kengor, Craig Shirley and Kiron K. Skinner Steven F. Hayward, Paul Kengor, Craig Shirley and Kiron K. Skinner are Ronald Reagan historians. Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The Washington Post. One cold evening … Continue reading
The following is an interview between National Review’s Kathryn Jean Lopez and Paul Kengor, executive director of the Center for Vision & Values, concerning the recent death of Judge Bill Clark, longtime close friend and adviser to Ronald Reagan. Judge … Continue reading
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Thinker. If you were to list the Americans most critical in facilitating the collapse of the Soviet Union, the name of Bill Clark, or “Judge Clark,” might not be on your … Continue reading
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. The most important adviser to President Ronald Reagan in his takedown of the Soviet empire has died at the age of 81. His name was William P. “Bill” Clark, known … Continue reading
Editor’s note: As one of his final works of service to his alma mater before retiring, Dr. John Sparks delivered the 2013 Grove City College commencement address, “Because Faith and Freedom Matter,” on May 18. You can watch Dr. Sparks deliver … Continue reading
Editor’s note: This piece first ran on our site on May 30, 2012. At 0227 hours on the morning of June 6, 1944, Lieutenant Robert Mathias saw the red light flash above the door of his C47 “Dakota” aircraft, signaling … Continue reading
Memorial Day is a wonderful constant. Every year, it never ceases to touch me. My family attends an annual parade in Mercer, Pennsylvania. It’s terrific—total old-school. The flags, the courthouse, the kids, the snow-cone stand, the marching bands, and, most … Continue reading
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The American Spectator. Every human life is special, unique, unrepeatable — to borrow from Pope John Paul II. Every loss of life is a loss. Some losses, however, seem larger, leaving a void no … Continue reading
The great 20th century novelist Chaim Potok wrote, in his novel, My Name Is Asher Lev, “You have a gift, Asher Lev. You have a responsibility.” My Mom had a gift of 89 years, 89 years to live her life; … Continue reading
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. Sunday, April 28, marks the 255th anniversary of President James Monroe’s birth in 1758. Recently, I had the pleasure of reading one of Harlow Giles Unger’s thorough biographies of … Continue reading
Margaret Thatcher, one of the greatest leaders of the Cold War, of the 20th century, and of British history, has died at the age of 87. I’ve referred to her as one of my Cold War seven: Ronald Reagan, John Paul II, Mikhail Gorbachev, … Continue reading
One of the most famous opening lines in literature comes from Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina: “All happy families are like one another; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Great literature causes us to think and ponder; it directs … Continue reading
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. New Year’s observances blend recollections of the past, celebrations in the present, and anticipation of the future. For a variety of reasons, I’m feeling nostalgic this year. I’ve been … Continue reading
It was shortly before Thanksgiving. I was in the kitchen washing dishes when I heard my first music of the holiday season. Sick of talk radio and sick of election post-mortems, I gave myself a breather, turning the FM dial … Continue reading
Editor’s note: A version of this piece first appeared at USAToday.com. Dear Mitt, I have awakened on November 7 to learn that your bid for the presidency was unsuccessful. In the midst of the disappointment that I share with you, … Continue reading
