Funding Fathers

Funding Fathers

My good friend, Ron Robinson, is the co-author of a book that came out last year, Funding Fathers (Regnery Publishing).  Nicole Hoplin co-authored this book with Ron and together they did a great job.

It’s been in my stack of “to read” books for quite some time.  Honestly, I had been putting off reading Funding Fathers because I was afraid that it would be less than interesting, a tome solely dedicated to promoting Young America’s Foundation (the organization of which Ron serves as President).  It’s not that I thought Ron and Nicole couldn’t write well, it was my fear that the topic would be boring and the narrative more text book like.  To my great delight none of my fears were justified.

Funding Fathers is a very well written book that keeps you turning the pages to learn more about the interesting people and fascinating backgrounds of those who were instrumental in providing the funds to ensure the intellectual underpinnings of the conservative movement as well as the talent to succeed politically.

Funding Fathers is a great read.  Ron gives the lion’s share of the credit for developing the personalities and the background of the individuals covered to Nicole.  But regardless of who contributed what to this book, it is really worth reading, especially if you are a conservative, and all the more so if you are also a donor to conservative causes.

If you haven’t heard of William Volker of Kansas City, Missouri, you will be surprised (as I was) by his powerful, positive impact on providing the funds and the inspiration for such groups as the Mount Pelerin Society.  You’ll learn about his high personal standards, his compassion, his character, and his commitment to freedom.  I think you’ll also be intrigued, as I was, by his business acumen, his far sightedness, and his willingness to take risks as a philanthropist.  He touched the lives of so many people you have heard of: Friedrich Hayek, Leonard Reed, Milton Friedman, Henry Hazlitt, and even Ronald Reagan.  His scholarships and funding at critical points literally helped to make the modern conservative movement in America, and around the globe, a reality.

In the book you’ll learn about the late Henry Regnery, the Founder of Regnery Publishing, and how William Volker played a role in his development as a conservative leader and a businessman.  In fact, you’ll also learn about Regnery’s extensive philanthropic activities.

Volker and Regnery are just the tip of a lovely iceberg when it comes to learning about the good hearted, patriotic, clear thinking men and women who played essential roles in providing the necessary funds to get the conservative movement off the ground.
It’s well worth taking the time to read about the amazing financial and personal contributions of conservative founders such as Bill Buckley, Jr., Dean Manion, Ronald Reagan’s Kitchen Cabinet, Antony Fisher, Spike Hennessy, Joe Coors, Sr. and John Engalitcheff.  The stories of their lives will amaze you, and their commitment to freedom along with their love of America will inspire you.