Michael Novak's intellectual honesty and keen analysis enabled him to discover previously overlooked economic realities that profoundly influenced emerging democracies in Europe, author George Weigel said at a seminar at Ave Maria University Friday marking Mr. Novak's recent 80th birthday.
Mr. Weigel was one of a number of speakers at a half-day seminar at AMU that discussed Mr. Novak's contributions, which Mr. Wiegel said were in six major areas: Economics, Civil Society and the American Founders, Apologetics, Diplomacy, Sports, and American Catholicism. He said Mr. Novak's book The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism shaped the thinking of the leaders of the Solidarity movement in Poland, and helped Eastern Europeans to understand how democracy could work.
Following the seminar, students and town residents gathered at the Queen Mary Pub where tributes to Mr. Novak, in words and music, continued well into the evening. Pictured left, Mr. Novak with daughter Jana Miller, one of several of his children who were in Ave Maria for the events.
Mr. Novak recently described his political journey from left-wing radical to neo-conservative in a new book Writing from Left to Right. For more on the book and his reminiscences, see a previous Ave Hearld story here.
(Mary Jo Klein contributed to this article) (top photo by Sara Bowes; photo of Mr. Novak and daughter by Daniel Dix)
Michael Novak's intellectual honesty and keen analysis enabled him to discover previously overlooked economic realities that profoundly influenced emerging democracies in Europe, author George Weigel said at a seminar at Ave Maria University Friday marking Mr. Novak's recent 80th birthday.
Following the seminar, students and town residents gathered at the Queen Mary Pub where tributes to Mr. Novak, in words and music, continued well into the evening. Pictured left, Mr. Novak with daughter Jana Miller, one of several of his children who were in Ave Maria for the events.