June 30, 2009

Finest Hour 114, Spring 2002

Page 28

By John G. Plumpton

The Queen Mary Fellows Program, November 2nd & 3rd, 2001



How can a man born into the 19th century British aristocracy, most famous for his achievements in the middle of the 20th century, be relevant to students in the 21st century? That was our challenge to the Queen Mary Fellows and other college students at our seminar aboard The Queen Mary (formerly RMS Queen Mary) in Long Beach, California on November 2nd through 4th, 2001.

Fortunately many of the lessons from the life and achievements of Sir Winston Churchill are timeless, as revealed by Professor James Muller, chairman of The Churchill Center Academic Advisers, and his corps of teachers: Sir Martin Gilbert, Steven Hayward, Vice Admiral James Stockdale (Ret.), Max Arthur, and Larry Kryske.

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On Friday evening, November 4th, Jim Muller addressed the Fellows on “The Education of Winston Churchill,” while Steven Hayward spoke on “Churchill on Leadership,” the title of his well-received book.

On Saturday, the Queen Mary Fellows had two ninety-minute discussion sessions on Churchill’s autobiography, My Early Life. During the first session, moderated by Professor Muller, they focused on Churchill’s account of his schooling and his self-education in India, asking what guidance it might give today’s students in preparing for careers in public service, politics or war.

Many Fellows were struck by Churchill’s embrace of the British Empire, and his enthusiasm for war. Some defended and others attacked the idea that Western Civilization should be preferred to native rule.

The second session, moderated by Sir Martin Gilbert, applied this question to Churchill’s experience in Queen Victoria’s little wars. The Fellows observed that Churchill deepened his appreciation of war in the last five years of the 19th century, and they also considered his account of late Victorian politics to see how it differs from political life today.

Most of the talking was done by the students, but Sir Martin Gilbert made some tantalizing observations about how Churchill composed his autobiography. The Fellows program concluded with a moving address by Admiral James Stockdale on the meaning of courage, based on his own experience as a prisoner of war in Hanoi for over seven years.

The Fellows had been sent My Early Life prior to the seminar, and they had read it with care. The moderators had only to launch the discussion with a question or two and then conversation flowed among the Fellows. It was an exciting program, observed by an audience of several dozen Churchill Center members.

On Saturday, the Fellows and Churchill Center members joined a group of almost 100 other students and professors for a series of speakers on the seminar theme. Steve Hayward opened with a repeat of his Fellows lecture on Churchill and Leadership, challenging his listeners with this question: is Churchill a relic of a bygone era, or a mere curiosity? He gave several examples of the renewal of interest in Churchill and pointed out that the battle between civilization and barbarism is not new, and that the values we defend are timeless.

Sir Martin Gilbert followed with an outline of several historical cases in which Churchill showed his leadership talents. Sir Martin told the students of a letter written to Churchill when he was in his twenties, in which the writer predicted the Churchill would become prime minister some day because he combined “genius and plod.” The genius was obvious; the plod was his willingness to work hard.

Many years later, Randolph Churchill complained to his father that his obligations to produce articles for a newspaper were interfering with his enjoyment of life. Winston replied, paraphrasing the poet Clough: “The heights achieved by the men of Kent were not achieved by sudden flight; for they, while their companions slept, were toiling upwards in the night.” The phrase became part of Randolph’s lexicon, and he recited it frequently – in later years he would recite it as a pep talk to the “Young Gentlemen,” including Martin Gilbert, whom Randolph hired as researchers on the official biography.

After lunch Larry Kryske gave his unique presentation, which uses painting to show how an understanding of Churchill can lead one to develop his or her own potential to the fullest. Mr. Kryske makes this presentation to student and corporate leaders throughout the nation. It is illustrated in his book, The Churchill Factors, which is available to members through our CC Book Club.

The program was developed and hosted by The Churchill Center with generous support from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. The Center’s contribution was donated by Duvall Hecht of Books on Tape; Ambassador Paul H. Robinson, Jr. of Robinson Inc.; and Richard Langworth of Churchillbooks.com.

Representing The Churchill Center at this conference were this writer and Professor James Muller. Representing the Intercollegiate Studies Institute were Rear Admiral Mike Ratliff (Ret.), Vice-President of Programs; and Jeff Cain, Director of Membership. Ruth Plumpton, Raili Garth and David Garth handled registration and managed the day’s activities.


Mr. Plumpton is President of The Churchill Center.

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