Richard C. Cornuelle (1927-2011)

Richard C. Cornuelle (1927-2011)

It is with deep sadness that I must share that Dick Cornuelle, our friend, benefactor, and inspiration for these re-examinations of the role of philanthropy in a free and humane society, passed away quietly yesterday morning, April 26, 2011.  Dick celebrated his 84th birthday on April 10.  It has been my privilege to work alongside Dick for over a decade, and I will miss his gentle and wise presence and his friendship.   I will have more to say than I can say just yet about Dick's influence and continuing legacy, but I think that the concluding thoughts from his 1983 book, Healing America, characterize Dick's fundamental premise which has shaped our work together over the past decade and will continue to give it shape in the years to come:

"In the end, a good society is not so much the result of grand designs and bold decisions, but of millions upon millions of small caring acts, repeated day after day, until direct mutual action becomes second nature and to see a problem is to begin to wonder how best to act on it.  And, if someday America succeeds in reviving its sense of community, we will surely wonder in retrospect how we ever thought we could sustain a good society without individual effort."

Dick embodied the human virtues required for the good society to emerge and flourish: personal excellence informed by deep intellectual humility and bound tightly with care for people and community.  

Resquiescat in pace.

More tributes and remembrances:

New York Times

Pete Boettke at Coordination Problem

William Schambra at The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Scott Walter at Philanthropy Daily

Brian Doherty at Reason

Gus DiZerega at Studies in Emergent Order

Bill Dennis at Atlas Network

Jay Hein at Sagamore Institute

Jeffrey Friedman at FrumForum

USA Funds

National Association of Manufacturers Shopfloor