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Entry: Postmodern, Not Hypermodern: Russell Kirk Link: http://www.takimag.com/site/article/postmodern_not_hypermodern_russell_kirk#14137 Post contents: Frank Purcell's comments are somewhat misleading and require further clarification. Kirk converted to Catholicism largely at Annette's insistence. He was reluctant convert to Catholicism because he thought like William Mallock he would be more effective defending the doctrines of the Church by remaining outside it. His wife would have none of this. She insisted that he convert because she wanted her children to be raised in a Catholic family. I recall that sometime during the 1980s Kirk tried to avoid attending Mass because he objected to the priest at St. Michael's. Once more, his wife insisted that he attend Mass to set a good example for his children and, well, as a Catholic, worshipping at Mass has nothing to do with your opinion of the priest. Frank Purcell's statement that Kirk "got his start on the lecture circuit during the Goldwater campaign thanks to the political operatives of General Motors" is somewhat confused. Kirk had been on the lecture circuit before the Goldwater campaign. That is how he made his living. I believe that what Purcell is referring to is Kirk's association with Dr. Jay Gordon Hall (who I recall meeting once in Mecosta), a lobbyist for General Motors. They were very close friends. In 1962, Hall solicited Kirk's help for a committee he had formed to promote Goldwater's candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. Hall introduced Goldwater to Kirk's writings and Kirk wrote articles supporting Goldwater and speeches which Goldwater delivered. It should be remembered that in 1962, Kennedy's popularity had declined and Goldwater's prospects looked bright. Time magazine observed in 1962 that Goldwater was more popular than Kennedy. Kirk discusses this in his memoirs, "The Sword of Imagination," pp. 254-260. I congratulate Mark Wegierski on his thoughtful and well-written review of Russello's book. The great achievement of Russello's study is that it forces us to look at Kirk's work, as Wegierski amply demonstrates, from a fresh perspective. Sent at: 2008 07 24