The American Spectator : My Dad, RIP

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My Dad, RIP

By Quin Hillyer on 5.7.10 @ 6:09AM

Not a lot of fathers are longtime lieutenants in the conservative movement.

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Worn out, Dad finally stepped back from most political volunteerism once his National Committee term ended. But he did spend nearly four years doing untold hours of pro bono legal work and other organizing for a struggling New Orleans radio station known for mixing conservative talk shows with a few daily hours of traditional jazz.

Health problems, Hurricane Katrina, a new wife's three-year bout with cancer, and then his own year-long cancer battle followed. Dad's long work in the conservative vineyards came to an end.

The lesson of all of which is... well, what, exactly?

Well, first, Dad showed for four decades a unique, admirable, and constructive dedication to a good cause. His work merits the memorialization that only print (or cyber-print) can provide.

Second, though, is something not unique to my father. The truth is that despite what is indicated by most of the media's coverage of politics, the real heart and soul of the American political system is not the consultants or the congressmen, not the spoils seekers or the wheeler-dealers, but the tens of thousands of volunteers who stuff the envelopes, knock on doors, make the phone calls, show up at the rallies, and ferry neighbors to the polls. Haywood H. Hillyer III was one of these people, these loyal and patriotic Americans who see political work as a civic duty. His heart wasn't in the back rooms where influence was peddled. It was in two other places instead: the world of ideas, to which publications such as The American Spectator, National Review, and Human Events so mightily contributed during the years he was active; and the neighborhood/district political meeting or nominating caucus, where those for whom politics was not vocation but avocation do the critical but unheralded work of small-"r" republican government.

For me, he was the best dad in the world for innumerable reasons having nothing to do with politics. For his country, he was one of many -- albeit a particularly devoted one -- who served his nation due to a sense of duty and gratitude. The rest of us should always endeavor to do likewise.

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About the Author

Quin Hillyer is a senior editor of The American Spectator and a senior fellow at the Center for Individual Freedom.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (28) | Leave a comment

Alexandra H Mulkern| 5.7.10 @ 6:54AM

Haywood H. Hillyer III has been lifted up on Eagle's wings and GOD now holds him in the hollow of his hands. May GOD bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.

Stephanie| 5.7.10 @ 8:25AM

My heart aches with you Quinn. He as at peace now and his pain is gone.

Alan Brooks| 5.8.10 @ 2:47AM

He is in a better world, because the hereafter could only be less wicked than this world.

TennesseeVolunteer| 5.7.10 @ 8:32AM

Quin, be of good heart. You are blessed to have had a Father of kindness, intellect and good spirit. My Father's passing of cancer at the age of 73 was one of the three signature moments of my life. My prayers are with you and your family.
My overwhelming feeling at my Dad's passing was "now, I am the Dad". I innately knew that people would now look to me because my Dad was no longer there.
I know you will not disappoint.

Neal Freeman| 5.7.10 @ 8:43AM

Perfectly said, Quin. I had the pleasure of meeting him during a few political conspiracies, always a sensible voice in the nonsensical scrum of urgent voices. Peace to you, too.

Maddox| 5.7.10 @ 10:03AM

Thank you for sharing your Dad's story of dedication to his country and family.
I am sure he is smiling down on you with great pride.

Nobama| 5.7.10 @ 10:22AM

Memory Eternal! Deepest Sympathies!

EricTheRedVM| 5.7.10 @ 11:03AM

So sorry for your loss. Sounds like your father was a wonderful guy. May his memory always be for a blessing.

Beth| 5.7.10 @ 12:16PM

My dear friend and a National Committeewoman, Jeannie Boese (RIP), - she and my mama graduated from Newcomb together - loved and respected your daddy very much, Quin. John Cade, too. How well I remember the David Duke debacle and your daddy’s incredible work and influence.

During my tenure on the RSCC (1996-2004), the “old hands,” John Treen, among them, and John Musser, who became National Committeeman, never failed to mention your daddy. Fortunately, for me, I once had the chance to meet him, however briefly. Although I didn’t know him well, I do know he is and will be sorely missed.

From one Episcopalian to another: My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Quin| 5.7.10 @ 1:57PM

To Neal Freeman and to Beth, who shared quick memories of direct contact with my father, I greatly appreciate your kind reminiscences. They mean a lot. (To Neal Freeman: I didn't know you knew him. I admire all the work you have done for so many years.) To everyone else who shared such thoughtful condolences: Many thanks. I am deeply touched. -- Quin

Anthony| 5.7.10 @ 2:34PM

Quin, my deepest sympathies to you and the rest of your family. You should take solace in the fact that you made your father a very proud dad, with your own substancial contributions to the conservative movement.

Michael L. Hauschild| 5.7.10 @ 7:10PM

Reading of your father certainly reinforces the reason there is a “G” in the GOP.

John| 5.7.10 @ 10:13PM

You have displayed the loyalty and love from a son that I, as father, can appreciate. I too attended the Sharon Conference in CT and must have met your father at the time. We ( he is included of course) were a different breed of young and often inexperienced true patriots. Your father was a real patriot and evidently one helluva a Dad. He leaves behind a legacy that will be lasting . The recent events must have been deeply hurtful for him, but now he is at peace. Your comments display the affection and honor that he deserved. You can be assured that the world is a better place due to his efforts and integrity. God bless you

Quin| 5.8.10 @ 12:48PM

John,
Thank you very much. Please write me at Qhillyer@Gmail.com to let me know your last name and contact info. I understand there are people who are at least considering putting together a Sharon 50th reunion.

Bruce| 5.8.10 @ 12:37AM

Mr. Hillyer, may I join with the rest in offering you and your family my most sincere condolences on the passing of your dad. It always struck me that ones mom always get the top spot when death strikes a family - a fact that sadly neglects the stunning emotional impact of a man losing his dad. When I lost my dad some 15 years ago at age 79 from heart failure, I was completely devastated knowing that the ONE PERSON I could talk to about virtually anything, without being spoken down to, was now gone. I felt as I expect you do at this time - adrift, trying to make sense of what my station in life now was.

Be strong - you are among a legion of friends.

Gerald Stephens| 5.8.10 @ 12:43PM

RIP

Now seventy, and my Dad passed twenty years ago at 92, tears still streak over the memory of his loss.

The lesson...our nation embodies through the love and devotion of parents the full riches of the American soul. The lieutenant ' s life honors his family and country.

His parting so sadly mourned, his gifts immortal.

IMKessel| 5.8.10 @ 8:46PM

May God rest your father and grant your family peace.

Bruce| 5.8.10 @ 9:07PM

Will the Webmaster here PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE,be so good as to kill these damned pingbacks! My God - this is ridiculous! It should take no more than a tic of a mouse to remove the ability to send pingbacks, and therefore eliminate once and for all these unbelievably annoying spam messages!

Cutch| 5.8.10 @ 10:52PM

Amen! Amen! Amen! Kill them sir! Kill them all! the doggone pingbacks, I mean, of course.

Oldefarte| 5.9.10 @ 1:55PM

Quin, Unfortionately, I did not know your father, but many of us are grateful to him for giving us the gift of your [his son's] writings. May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.

Margie| 5.9.10 @ 2:53PM

Quinn,
I wish to give you my heartfelt condolences on the loss of your Dad. He sounded like a really great guy, and I loved reading what you wrote about him. My Dad's still with us and is going to be 80. I can't imagine losing him, either. I'm thankful for all the work you Dad did in the conservative arena, and it looks like you're following in his footsteps. Now as for Sarah Palin... well, that's another story for another time. :)
God bless you, Quinn, may your heart be comforted by the Great Comforter Himself, Jesus.

Andrew Hyman| 5.9.10 @ 5:38PM

Thanks Quin, for telling us about your Dad. I wish there were more like him. RIP.

P.S. Down with pingbacks!

S.L. Toddard| 5.10.10 @ 12:52PM

Requiescat in pace.

Cug Smith| 5.11.10 @ 12:24PM

As a New Orleans native (now living on Belle River) I can remember some of the struggles of the Republican Party in Louisiana during my youth. My dad, who moved to New Orleans in early 1944, registered as a Republican. When he married my mother (a New Orleans native) in November of that year, her parents pitched a fit, telling him it was stupid to be a Republican in Louisiana because he would never “get to vote” (meaning that with the “closed primaries” and no Republican power in the state, he needed to be a Democrat in order to choose among the only candidates having a chance of winning). As you know, in those days statewide politics was New Orleans against the rest of the State of Louisiana, and my grandfather’s concern was getting as many votes as possible for the New Orleans candidates (who almost invariably were defeated by the rest of the state). Some of my earliest political memories are of the 1959 Governor’s race, which severely upset my parents when Jimmy Davis defeated the former New Orleans Mayor deLesseps “Chep” Morrison. I first got personally interested in politics while in junior high school during the 1964 Presidential race, when my parents were “Democrats for Goldwater” (I still have the campaign button), but most of my classmates from the uptown area near Tulane University were Johnson supporters. While in high school, I played in the Tulane University band (which supplemented their forty or so college students with about fifteen of us from Fortier HS, in order to have full instrumentation), so I know what you mean about the liberal leanings on the Tulane campus. The 1972 Presidential election was the first in which I was eligible to vote (the voting age was still 21, when I turned 18), and by that time all of my family were registered as Republicans.

People like your father helped make the Republican Party viable in the "Deep South". My dad died in 2002 (thus avoiding Katrina, which would have been too much for him to bear). It is thanks to his love of American history and his high conservative ideals that I became the conservative I am today. As a state employee, I cannot currently engage in any political activities, but rest assured, that will change when I retire in 2012. I dream of my father often, and they are always pleasant dreams, as I am sure it will be with you for your father. To paraphrase a portion of the Latin Requiem: “May angels lead him into Paradise…May the Chorus of Angels receive him…May he have eternal rest.”
Cug Smith
Pierre Part, LA

Quin| 5.12.10 @ 10:27AM

Mr. Smith,
Thank you so much for those wonderful stories, and for your kind words. God Bless.

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