The Abbeville Institute's Tribute to Professor Clyde Wilson

historian, scholar, teacher, and friend of all things right and true in the Southern tradition
An evening of testimonials and presentations
The Testimonials:
Abbeville Institute President, Professor Donald Livingston, leads off the event with "Clyde Wilson has done more than any other living scholar to teach us what is true and valuable about the Southern tradition."
Carey Roberts ,Professor of History, Arkansas Tech University, friend and student of Professor Wilson, served as our guest moderator and began the session by introducing two of Clyde Wilson's oldest friends and compatriots, Tom Landess and Tom Fleming.

Tom Landess, author: "[Clyde's] flinty contempt for current sensibilities and proprieties that we find so endearing consists of observations on an astounding variety of subjects; history, historiography, political science, art, and popular culture, to name just a few. And all of these concerns worried over by a mind as expansive in its own way as St. Thomas Aquinas, who was sainted entirely on his scholarly output. The corpus of "St. Clyde" can be regarded as a singular unified exposition of our ancient and right headed intellectual heritage and how it has been ignored or distorted by a new generation of ersatz scholars and popular commentators."
Dr. Tom Fleming, President of the Rockford Institute, editor of Chronicles magazine: "Probably best known to many of the people in this room as a teacher, he was also a teacher of his friends. I would have to be here all night if I were to recite the lessons I've learned in politics, and in history. It was Clyde who taught his friends the profound truth that the character of a people makes a constitution, makes a political system, and not vice versa."
Professor James Kibler, English, University of Georgia: "There are few today who qualify as men of letters. Clyde is one of those few. He is scholar, teacher, writer, editor--and friend, supposter, and encourager of writers, scholars, and teachers. I am one of those many who have been lucky enough to have benefitted from his counsel and generosity. Thank you, Clyde.
Prof. Richard Gamble, History, Palm Beach Atlantic University: "I tell people that there are so many good things in my life, so many people I know from whom I can draw a direct line back to Clyde."
Students waiting in line to express their appreciation of and intellectual debt to Clyde Wilson.
Professor Lee Cheek, Chair of the Political Science Department, Brewton-Parker College: "The greatest honor of my academic life is that I have been mistaken for a Clyde Wilson student...He is the best mentor I have ever had; he is the best advocate..."
Dr. John Devanny, Academic Dean, St. Joseph High School: "The most important things that Clyde taught me were the things that Aristotle said we merely need to be reminded of. Faith, family, land, traditions, virtue, honor--these were the good things and no matter what path we pursue, these were the things we kept foremost."
Prof. Sean Busick, History, Kentucky Wesleyan College: "Thank you Clyde. You have always been an example of honor, of integrity, of honesty. None of us could have asked for a more helpful advisor or one who was a better historian."

Dr. Alan Cornett: "I have had three great intellectual influences in my life: and have been blessed to know all three. The first was Russell Kirk. I was privileged to work with him, and Dr. Kirk taught me about being a conservative. The other one was Wendell Berry, a fellow Kentuckian, who has taught me about being an agrarian. And the third is Clyde Wilson, who taught me about being a Southerner and that brings everything together."
Dr. Samuel Smith, Assistant Professor of History, Liberty University: " I only took Professor Wilson for one class...but I must say that the American historiography class completely changed the way I look at history. It was very profound and ever since, when I'm reading something, I think, 'what would Dr. Wilson think about this?'."
Prof. Jeff Rogers, History, Gordon College: "One of the things that stands out the most, more than being a model to emulate for scholarship and someone to guide you through your studies, was that Dr. Wilson was always a friend."
Brion McClanahan, finishing graduate student, University of South Carolina: "Dr. Wilson is someone you want to emulate in your life, whom you think about and hope to emulate in your scholarship."
Dr. Tim Manning, Assistant Editor, Southern Partisan magazine: "I've, perhaps, had the least time of any of you with Clyde..but have been closest to him for the longest period. The best education I've gotten has not been in the graduate department--it has been working with Clyde in many different ways."
Presentations and conviviality

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Phone & Fax: 404.377.0484