We are very sorry to have to inform our readers of the death last night of our friend, our teacher (in class and out), and above all a woman whom we thoroughly and unreservedly admired, Amy Kass. Amy’s character and her work will be the subject of many well-deserved tributes in the days and weeks to come; you can begin with this fine appreciation by her Hudson Institute colleague William Schambra.
For now, it is perhaps enough to point out the obvious: Amy was a truly remarkable woman. A legendary teacher at the University of Chicago and a very fine scholar, she was at once a most perceptive student of great literature and a spirited and enlightened patriot. She was able to combine in an unusual way philosophic detachment and moral seriousness, a rare kind of enriching gravity and a wonderfully enlivening wit. Her marriage to Leon was a model for all; her friendship was a blessing for those of us fortunate to have known her.
For those who didn’t know her well (and for those of us who did), it’s fortunate that Amy and Leon conducted a series of discussions about the varied readings in their anthology on America, What So Proudly We Hail, that are available for us to watch. From them, you begin to get a sense of Amy’s penetrating wit and intelligence, and also of her warmth as a person. You might want to begin with this speech about patriotism and citizenship, and this conversation on George Patton and Joshua Chamberlain. I also had the pleasure of conducting a Conversation with Amy and Leon that I hope conveys some of Amy’s qualities; you can view it here.
In quickly looking over some of Amy’s work this morning, I came across this short piece that Amy wrote with Leon a few years ago. It seemed to me to capture unusually well, in just two paragraphs, several features of Amy’s moral and intellectual outlook:
Ballou speaks of his two great loves, love of country and love of Sarah. At first glance, these loves appear to be strictly in conflict, the second willingly sacrificed to the first. However, closer reading makes one wonder whether it is not, in part, the blessings of private life, made secure by the American republic, that inspires Ballou’s grateful commitment to defend “American Civilization.” One wonders also whether it is not his steadfast, “deathless” love for his wife, still binding him to her as he heads for battle, that inspirits him to face the threat of death on behalf of his love of country. Perhaps we have become too sophisticated to countenance or too embarrassed to engage in serious and heartfelt talk about such fundamental matters. But we suspect that our best men and women in uniform will find nothing gooey in Ballou’s letter. They may lack the words Ballou had, but they know that he speaks for them.
Echoing Amy’s last sentence, I would say: We lack the skill Amy Kass had, but we know she spoke for the best in us.
