Who was Bob Kephart?

Answer 1

Bob KephartHere are answers from FAQ Farmers:

• Bob Kephart was one of the great heroes of the modern libertarian movement, although most libertarians don't know it.

• Years ago Roy Childs told me that Bob Kephart was one of the most important people in the modern libertarian movement, owing to his tireless efforts, which were often Behind the Scenes, to support various individuals, periodicals, and organizations. Having learned a great deal about the history of libertarian movements since those early days with Roy, I now appreciate more than ever the wisdom of his observation. I cannot adequately express my appreciation for the assistance and encouragement Bob gave me over the years. It was truly inspiring to associate with a person of such resolve and dedication, especially when that person was able to translate ideas into practical programs while holding fast to his principles.

• I first met Bob Kephart in August 1994 in Aspen. At that exact time a crime bill was being voted on in Congress that had a provision in it to allow judges to ignore the harsh mandatory minimum sentences for low-level drug offenders. When we met, Bob said, "Well, it looks like your efforts to end mandatory minimum sentences have succeeded, so now you should start thinking about fixing the forfeiture laws..." I was struck by both his optimism and his certainty that I would move onto correcting another important injustice. Until that conversation I hadn't realized I was a criminal justice reformer for the long-haul. Unfortunately, his prediction of our success in changing federal mandatory sentencing laws was premature. But his prediction that I was in for the long-haul was right on target. And, thankfully, Bob stuck with us as we inched forward to federal sentencing reform. We need more true-believers like Bob.

• Before talking about Bob, I extend our heartfelt condolences to Janet and Patrick and their families, not only from Maureen and me, but from the entire McCaffrey Clan. The Kepharts and McCaffreys go back over 40 years, first when business interests brought Bob and Neil, Sr. together. They grew to be fast and loving friends, as did Janet and Joan. We'll miss Bob, and I can't say how deeply I appreciate the help and friendship he and Janet gave me and my family over the years. I can't ever forget the support he gave my father when he was fighting cancer. And I often reread the eulogy he gave at Neil's memorial service. I smile when I read it. At that, I extend condolences to everyone who reads this. You wouldn't be here if not for a deep love for Bob and Janet. And from a distance, Jack, I marvel at the tireless help you've given both Bob and Janet. God bless you for that. Who was Bob Kephart? More important, what made Bob special? The characteristic that I saw in Bob (and I'm not alone) that made him such a fine man -- a man whom I admired and whose approval I sought -- is loyalty, a fruit of the greatest of virtues, charity. More than a few of us who come to this site owe our livelihood to Bob, or have been helped by Bob. In my case, he trusted part of his business to a young company at a time when we were struggling for clients. From that day on, Bob never missed a chance to try to help us. He recommended us to friends, he steered business our way. Thank you, Bob, for that. Many of you can make a similar statement. Whether you were a young writer trying to establish yourself within the libertarian or hard-money movement, or a fellow publisher, or a copywriter trying to make it in a competitive market, Bob helped. Loyalty. That's Bob legacy for me. I only hope that when I die, someone can make the claim that I was as loyal to my friends as he. May God rest Bob's soul.

• Neil McCaffrey is right: Bob's foremost qualities were loyalty and charity. He was fierce in his love of liberty and always ready to go the extra step to help those in need. I remember Bob's defense of a prisoner who wrote to us offering his heart to Karl Hess because the prisoner was in for a 25-year drug rap and had no hope. Bob arranged for a post-conviction appeal for this guy, and for many others. We on the committee for the Thomas Szasz Award for Contributions to the Cause of Civil Liberty were very pleased to award the 1998 prize to Bob Kephart. Everyone who knew him knows he deserved it. I miss him so much!

• Bob Kephart: Our Philosopher King. Bob died on June 8, 2004 just three months shy of the biblical three score and ten. His longtime friend Bill Bonner has already referred to the fact that June 8 was also the day the Lost Dauphin died. (For those of you less versed in French history than Bill, on June 8, 1795, Louis XVII, the orphan king of France, theoretically ruling from 1793 to 1795 after his parents lost their heads, died at age 10, while hiding from the mob.) But I find it even more interesting that the great freedom writer Thomas Paine also died on June 8 (in 1809). And a few years later, Andrew Jackson, the most independent-minded anti-authoritarian President of the era and the first one born outside the Virginia aristocracy, or the Adams family also died on June 8 (1845). Tom Paine was a Kephart kind of guy. Paine wrote Common Sense, the 1776 pamphlet that angered a lot of Tories and pushed thousands of Undecideds off the fence. (It sold a million copies, one third of the population then.) Common Sense was also Jack Pugsley first best-selling book title, and his newsletter title (Common Sense Viewpoint), published in the 1970s and 1980s. Jack was probably Bob's dearest friend, and the one who stayed by Bob's side to the end. Having spent the last few months of my late parents lives with them in their long fights with cancer, I know how draining that is Thank you for your loving service to the Kepharts, Jack. If you go to Google and type June 8, 2004, you will find more articles about the death of the U.S. Constitution than the death of Bob Kephart. Some are now calling June 8, 2004 The Day the Constitution Died. That was the day the Attorney General of the United States refused to provide the Senate Judiciary Committee with his Department's memos concerning the official government policy on torture. In doing so, the nations leading law officer declared that the U.S. President is not bound by U.S. law nor by international treaties. Bob would comment on this with a touch of humor, I'm sure, but the predatory nature of his birth nations government was an ever-present pebble in both shoes. For Bob, the Constitution was already a dead letter. He was more of a Declaration of Independence type of guy. In fact, he didn't even vote Libertarian. I remember his 60th birthday soiree for Murray Rothbard, in which he drafted a series of couplets ending something like this: If you claim to be an anarchist, Smarty, how come you joined the Libertarian Party? If I have to find anything positive out of Bob's shocking death, then I'll say I'm encouraged by watching the daily news, to see what monstrous events Bob does NOT have to see any more. Bob once told me that he started Inflation Survival Letter in the 1970s because he was so shocked by Nixon's dollar devaluation, wage and price controls, amidst runaway currency creation, that he had to move out of politics (he was then publishing the conservative weekly, Human Events) and into asset protection strategies. He was convinced that inflation would be the biggest economic story of the 1970s, and it was. Within a decade, Bob showed hundreds of thousands of investors how to survive financially, while the bulk of the mob was being decimated by stocks, bonds or U.S. dollar savings. For the sake of those who don't know or remember Bob's role in promoting financial freedom during his decade of active newsletter publishing (1971-81), picture this scene in the early 1970s: Inflation was raging (Producer Prices rose 18.2% in 1973), but federal regulations said you couldn't get more than 5.25% on your passbook savings. The dollar was collapsing, but it was hard to invest in stronger currencies without flying to Switzerland to open an account, which yielded negative interest rates. U.S. Money supply was increasing by an average 12% a year, and the dollar eventually fell 78% from 1971 to 1978. Stocks were careening downward. The Dow fell from 1051 to 577 in 1973-74, and Wall Street brokers had a cartel that enforced 8.5% commissions, on top of those capital losses. Due to inflation and rising interest rates, bonds were losing value just as rapidly as stocks. Gold was rising, but it was illegal for Americans to own gold before 1975. The pioneers take the arrows in the back, but they make the land safer for those who follow. A lot of what today'ss investors take for granted was unavailable in the early 1970s, when Bob helped to launch the alternative investment newsletter movement. Throughout the 1970s, Bob and a few other independent financial newsletter editors and publishers led a revolution against limited investment choice. Bob hired young writers like Doug Casey to cover gold stocks, Mark Skousen for financial privacy, Vern Jacobs for tax angles, Karl Hess for independent living, Bruce Bartlett for supply side economics, and myself. On top of that, he also had the greatest liberty-oriented library I've seen. Bob was our philosopher king, and will always remain so. When Bob's great friend Karl Hess died, Richard Nixon had the impudence to die on the same day, taking away from the glory of Karl's passage to a new realm. Bob was luckier. He was sandwiched between Ronald Reagan (on June 5) and Ray Charles (June 10). That's a rockin scene. Carry me to heaven between the Gipper and the Genius and I'll gladly go tomorrow.

• Bob was the ideal in my mind of what a man should be. He had his faults, everyone does but more than any other man in my life he will shine through in my heart til the end of my days. Bob was my mother's boss when he owned KCI. I was raised in arms, and in his heart. I would go into work on Saturday and stay in his office until my Mom would make me leave. He was a man that I will miss to no end! He was the father I wished I had growing up. I learned to dance partially due to his help, and encouragement. Who is Bob Kephart? For those of us who knew him, he was a father, a humanitarian, liberater, husband, and most importantly of all a man who loved me without judgment or reservation. I love you Bob and you will always be the measure of man in my heart and mind. Lisa

• Bob was a guy who truly loved his friends ... unconditionally. He possessed a complex mix of intensity, warmth, generosity, an unpredictable curmudgeon streak, and lots of fatherly advice. I lost my own dad when I was 20 and always turned away from older friends and relatives who tried to play a surrogate father role. I had one dad and didn't need another. Then I met RDK. My wife Kay was his secretary, starting right after she graduated from college with a philosophy degree. Just when Kay thought she could not take another day of traditional secretarial crap, Bob promoted her to run his list rental division. She of course had no experience, yet thrived in the challenge and launched her career in business. She was part of a long line of folks who's potential Bob spotted early on and nurtured, expecting only friendship and decency in return. I liked Bob from the moment I met him. That surprised me some. Our political and religious views didn't mesh. I cared little about the investment world. I thought he hung out with some major nut cases! It was clear from the start though that because I was married to Kay, I was his friend for life. Simply put, I loved Bob and loved being around him. We shared interests in jazz guitar, art, women folk singers and grossly inappropriate humor. Some of my fondest memories are of sailing trips with Bob and Janet. I can't exactly recall when Bob first started giving me fatherly advice. It may have been 5 minutes, or maybe it was an hour after I first met him. He was hard-wired to help people. His advice was never sugar-coated, always in the best interest of the recipient and always came with huge amounts of data to back it up! He used to ask me about my dad and he talked about his own. Before I knew it was happening, I found myself enjoying this special role he played in my life. He did the same for Kay and for many others. His concept of family extended to everyone he counted as a friend. I was struck by Jack Pugsley's comments at Bob's memorial service about how Bob questioned whether he made a difference to anybody in his life. That question captures the essence of Bob. He made a huge difference in so many lives, yet refused to believe he could be that influential ... even if you told him.

• Bob Kephart was not only a friend but also a significant influence on my life in so many ways it's all but impossible to put what he meant to me into words without writing a book, but here's a story that captures the essence of it: In 1974, Bob took the late, great Robert Heinlein, his wife Ginny, my then wife Carole, and me sailing from Annapolis, out to the Chesapeake ship channel and back, in his 21-foot-ish sloop. The trip out was a lazy one of picnicing and talking and enjoying the salt air. The trip back was all lee-rail in the water. "Invigorating." Heinlein, then 67, sat on the windward side of the well, his feet braced against the bench opposite, showing us that he still remembered all the sailor's knots he'd learned as an Annapolis plebe (Class of 1929) and telling some great stories from his navy days as he closely watched Bob's expert helmsmanship. During one particularly dicey tack, Heinlein looked at me, smiled, winked, and said, "Your friend likes to sail close to the wind, doesn't he?" That he did -- in every way that mattered. Thanks, Bob

• Bob was more than a man but a prophet. I made contact with him when I was in prison, telling him about my plans to start an organization called the Prisons Foundation on my release a few years down the road and asking him to serve on the advisory board. Rather laugh at me for my grandiosity and optimism, he accepted immediately. Then he critiqued my plans and helped me come up with a better design. I am out of prison now, and the project is thriving, in large part thanks to Bob.