Photos: AHI-Baylor University Summer Conference 2015

On June 18 and 19, the Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization (AHI) held its Seventh Annual Summer Conference, co-sponsored with the Department of Political Science at Baylor University at 21 W. Park Row, Clinton, New York. The conference focused on “Churchill and de Gaulle: Statesmanship in a Democratic Age,” with discussions led by Professor Daniel Mahoney, Department of Political Science, Augustine Chair in Distinguished  Scholarship, at Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts. A record crowd of more than seventy persons attended the event. Professorial visitors in the audience included Jerome Foss, St,. Vincent College, Latrobe, Pennsylvania; Joseph Wysocki, Belmont Abbey College, Belmont, North Carolina; Robert and Christina Jeffrey, Wofford College, Spartanburg, South Carolina; Elizabeth Amato, Gardner-Webb University, Boiling Springs, North Carolina, and Robert Kraynak, Colgate University, Hamilton New York.

The well-attended conference was organized by AHI Senior Fellows David and Mary Nichols both from the Department of Political Science, Baylor University, in Waco, Texas. David Clinton, chairman of Baylor’s Department of Political Science, served as one of the sixteen panelists. “The 2015 AHI Summer Conference was, as always,” observed Professor Clinton, “an intellectual feast and a convivial occasion.  The AHI has long since mastered the art of arranging a two-day interchange on a topic important to the preservation of the accomplishments of Western Civilization; the discussions were rich and filled with insights, guided by our expert moderator, Dan Mahoney.  I was also impressed with the atmosphere of camaraderie that brought together all the participants, whether at the table or in the audience, in a shared endeavor of thoughtful exploration of our shared concerns.  In part, this aim was accomplished through the ample opportunities for social interaction outside the formal conference sessions.  The entire experience set a standard met by very few academic gatherings, and AHI can be proud of its accomplishment.”