Once upon a time, Yours Truly was fortunate enough to have an office adjoining that of our dear pal, the late Dusty Rhodes, who was president of NR. Among his many activities, one he took most seriously was serving as the Bradley Foundation’s board chairman (Bradley has kindly honored Dusty’s important legacy by supporting National Review Institute’s Rhodes Journalism Fellowship — the current fellow is Daniel Tenreiro.) On plenty of mornings (we both arrived early at NR’s offices), following his first-things-first joke, Dusty would discuss what Bradley was trying to accomplish, its set-up, strategies, and much more. Important to the free-market philanthropy’s mission was supporting the great Milwaukee community (the Bradley brothers, Lynde and Harry, ran the Allen-Bradley Corporation, a major local manufacturer). Dusty took great pleasure in explaining some of the foundation’s more important home-focused efforts (which included fighting for Wisconsin education reform).
Amidst all its support for national civic groups that stand for freedom, Bradley proudly continues its efforts on Things Milwaukee, an example of dedicated subsidiarity that should appeal to all conservatives, and its support for the arts. It is of late evident in the new episode of its “We the People” video series, in which Bradley CEO Rick Graber interviews Mark Niehaus, president of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, which is happily ensconced in its new home, the Bradley Symphony Center, a major effort realized in defiance of the pandemic (and of floods). It’s a fascinating discussion. Have a watch:
