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April 3, 2018

"Patrick Korten passed away Holy Thursday last week. Korten was like a true Knight of the round table as he always rode forth to save western civilization at a moments notice and he constantly served the conservative cause in the most persuasive fashion from his days as editor of the Badger Herald in his youth in 1969 to his recent work to defend Judge Day of Oregon, " says Eugene Delgaudio, president of Public Advocate.

(credit to Greg Hilton, facebook post)
Patrick S. Korten Dies At 70. Conservative Leaders React.
When Korten Joined The Justice Department, The Washington Post Headline Was "Attorney General Ed Meese Appoints A Tiger." For Four Decades The Liberals Heard His Roar.

This was posted by the Republican Security Council.
Patrick S. Korten, 70, one of our original members, died at about 7 pm last night. During the Reagan administration Korten served as spokesman for the Office of Personnel Management and the Justice Department. The Post praised his ability to "shake bureaucratic and political cages."
He was also an anchorman and reporter for WTOP radio and was later Senior VIce President of the Knights of Columbus.
A few of us were able to see him regularly when he organized the annual YAF Alumni lunch during CPAC.
On March 22nd, Korten had a severe stroke and was in the Fairfax Hospital ICU for a week. He was unable to speak or move.
His last Facebook post was almost exactly one week before his death and a few hours before the stroke. He wrote "Congratulations to John Bolton, a good friend of many years and a close colleague during our years at the Justice Department, on his appointment this evening as the new National Security Advisor.
"Having known him for 40 years now, I believe Bolton will do a superb job. I also feel much better having Larry Kudlow at the helm of the National Economic Council.
"Although I don't know him anywhere near as well as Bolton, Trump now has two superior people in two of three most important positions in the White House. Their ascent gives me real hope." Korten is now being remembered by numerous conservative leaders.
" Frank Donatelli, former RNC Deputy Chairman, "Pat was a wonderful friend, a devoted family man and a friend of freedom."
" Robert Bork Jr "I so enjoyed him. Find comfort in a life well lived and the promise of the life to come."
" Wayne Valis, who was a Specail Assistant to President Reagan, "A delightful man; thoughtful, balanced and wise."
" Allan Brownfeld, a contributing editor to Human Events, "He was an old friend. His contribution to the well-being of our country will not be forgotten."
" Jack Cox, former Chief of Staff to Rep. Barry Goldwater Jr. (R-CA), "He was one of the most energetic conservatives I have know with an unswerving dedication to principle. He joined us for dinner commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Senator Goldwater's Presidential Campaign. Pat made a difference in his life."
" Mark Tapscott, Executive Editor of the Washington Examiner, "He was an old friend, a Reagan veteran, a great American radio voice and an all-round good man."
" Ron Docksai, former YAF Chairman, "He had the most memorable voice ever to grace American radio, and was the conservative movement's favorite MC."
" Former State Sen. Mark Rhoads (R-IL) "I had a great visit with Pat at the Heritage Foundation on March 1 for a Buckley Legacy Panel and Pat was laughing and his normal jovial self with no hint of health problems."
" Kathryn Lopez, National Review, "A remarkably good and kind man."

Korten first received national attention when he was still a student at the University of Wisconsin. In 1969 he was the founding editor of the conservative Badger Herald, which was the alternative to the UW-Madison's primary student newspaper, The Daily Cardinal, which had close ties to leaders of the radical campus protest movement.

When anti-war activists detonated a truck bomb outside the University's Army Math Research Center on August 24, 1970, damaging several campus buildings and killing a post doc physics researcher, The Daily Cardinal editorially supported the bombers, saying "If Robert Fassnacht had died in Vietnam ... he would be a line in a news story - a number.
"And that is the reality that some of us have already died to change will struggle to change."
To help support the Badger Herald, National Review editor William F. Buckley went to Madison in 1971 as the headliner at a fundraising dinner. Buckley later said it was the only speech he ever gave free of charge. Buckley and National Review also financially supported the student newspaper.