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Remembering William F. Buckley

SCOTT SIMON, Host:

Mr. Buckley, the founder of National Review, the host of "Firing Line" and the writer of too many graceful essays, histories and novels to list, died this week of complications from emphysema at the age of 82. Emphysema, such an unseemly thing for a man who was so often a breath of fresh air.

D: We decided to brighten up dessert with two huge sparklers. They were explosively effective and startling, and probably there has not been such elation on these waters since the Battle of Trafalgar.

SIMON: Bill Buckley's theme song. This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Scott Simon is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, tragedy and comedy.