I knew the William F. Buckley, Jr. who the NYT described today as “the man who marshaled polysyllabic exuberance, famously arched eyebrows and a refined, perspicacious mind to elevate conservatism to the center of American political discourse”. He was 82.

A younger Buckley worked on a project of mine to help restore credibility to the drug abuse prevention messages the government was peddling back in the 60s and 70s. My task was to review some 100 drug abuse education films, many of them used by the Department of Defense, to educate kids and soldiers about the “evils” of drug use. We set out to determine if these films were doing more harm than good.

On the first pass we reviewed each film with a panel of medical experts to see if what was being said was medically and scientifically accurate. One third of the films did not pass this basic criteria and received our don’t use warning. Those that did pass this phase were sent on to a second panel to determine their value as educational tools and whether or not they should be used in classrooms or drug education programs.

This panel was made up of teachers, media specialists, educators, parents, and students. To give the effort some leverage in the press, the panel also included famous names such as Judith Crist, then the film critic for the NYT, diverse cultural icons such as Peter Fonda and Mama Cass Elliot, and William F. Buckley, Jr. It turned out that less than a third of the films were deemed of educational value and the rest, to put it in Buckley’s words, “I wouldn’t show these to my dooooog.”

The government hated our review, educators loved them, and film makers lost money. The times changed and kids went on to do drugs, most as a right of passage, but some out of darker and deeper needs that got them in trouble. For William F. Buckley, Jr., his curiosity had been piqued and he was itching to try weed, grass, marijuana, whatever. Ever curious about everything, he wanted to know for himself if any of this stuff was remotely true. But how to do this without breaking the law? A real problem for a visible conservative, not a problem for the rest of us.

So he eventually arranged for someone to meet him in international waters off Long Island Sound with a “j” and there he got high on the waves, or so the story goes. How often he returned to international waters is not known.

Behind his often intimidating words was a man who cared deeply about education and he insisted that facts, not fear, be served. He made a big contribution to the way the country, at that time, was rethinking its approach to drug use and personal liberty. To this day I remember the sessions well. I was proud to be a small part of his voice.