Home » News » TFAS Remembers Professor Walter Berns

TFAS Remembers Professor Walter Berns

//////////////////////

Walter Berns, a prominent constitutional scholar who served on the faculty of TFAS’s first overseas institute, died on Jan. 10, 2015 at the age of 95. Berns was a professor emeritus at Georgetown University and a resident scholar emeritus at the American Enterprise Institute.

Berns (center) meets with President George W. Bush and Laura Bush in the Oval Office after receiving the 2005 National Humanities Medal.
Berns (center) meets with President George W. Bush and Laura Bush in the Oval Office after receiving the 2005 National Humanities Medal.

In 1993, when TFAS launched its Prague-based American Institute on Political and Economic Systems (AIPES), Berns lectured on political philosophy and the U.S. Constitution. It was fitting that this great scholar of philosophy and constitutional law would present the universal ideas of liberty to students from countries who had just gained freedom from communism. Georgetown Professor Michael Collins remarked, “It was a privilege to work with him in Prague that first year and to listen to his lectures on the Constitution. I admired him and was happy to have his friendship.”

Tony Mecia (ICPES 92), a TFAS alumnus and program assistant during that first program in Prague, commented, “Professor Berns was a giant, but he was very approachable. I remember one very engaging back-and-forth on the merits of the Electoral College, which was not necessarily a popular opinion. His explanation of the moderating influences of the Electoral College still sticks with me every time I hear someone say it’s an anachronism and we should go to popular election of presidents.”

Berns lecturing TFAS students on political philosophy and the U.S. Constitution during the inaugural TFAS International institute in Prague.
Berns lecturing TFAS students on political philosophy and the U.S. Constitution during the inaugural TFAS International institute in Prague.

A legendary professor who taught at seven different universities, Berns helped imbue his love of the United States and the U.S. Constitution in the minds of his students. Berns believed America was special because its Constitution is based on the universal principles of liberty; he lamented that “there are now professors who doubt that a nation founded on those principles is entitled to affection.”

Quin Hilyer, Georgetown alumnus and newspaper columnist, observed, “James Madison, in particular, leapt from Berns’ lectures in full intellectual color, a still-living paragon of wisdom, decency, practicality, and principle.” National Review’s Jonah Goldberg, said, “He had the soul of a teacher.” TFAS President Roger Ream recalled how Berns walked students through the Federalist Papers. “The students in Prague came from countries just coming out from under communism. Walter was skilled at presenting issues the American founders grappled with in a way that connected them directly to problems faced in the newly emerging democracies of Europe.”

Berns authored numerous books on democracy, the Constitution and patriotism, including “Freedom, Virtue and the First Amendment” (1957), “Taking the Constitution Seriously” (1987), “Making Patriots” (2001) and “Democracy and the Constitution” (2006). President Bush awarded him the National Humanities Medal in 2005.

1250
post

Recent Posts

//////////////////////

Respected Executive Lindsay Craig Joins TFAS as Strategic Advisor and America 250 Program Lead

The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) is pleased to announce that Lindsay Craig is joining the organization as Strategic Advisor and America 250 Program Lead. In this role, she will lead the next strategic planning effort, working with TFAS President and CEO…

Roger Ream in NRO: The Mainstream Media Don’t Need ‘Media Solidarity’

This op-ed by Roger Ream originally appeared in National Review Online. You can find the original article here. Too often over the past decade, news outlets have seen themselves as crusaders against the Trump administration and for activist government in general.…

In Memoriam: Anthony R. Dolan, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist

It is with great sadness that The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) announces the passing of Anthony “Tony” R. Dolan, a brilliant and dedicated journalist whose work and contributions have left a lasting impact on the world of investigative reporting.…