Dear John,

Along with our whole community, I mourn the recent loss of Dr. Edwin J. Feulner—Trustee Emeritus, former Chairman, alumnus, and beloved member of the ISI family.  

Ed’s legacy is monumental. As the founding president of the Heritage Foundation, he transformed a modest think tank into one of the most influential institutions in American public life. His leadership shaped the conservative movement for decades.  
But it’s my special honor to share that before Ed’s role at Heritage, before Washington, before the Reagan Revolution . . . there was ISI.  

Ed’s journey began in the early 1960s at Regis College, where ISI-affiliated professors introduced him to the life of the mind and the enduring ideas of Western civilization. He quickly immersed himself in ISI programs, attending a summer school in 1962, founding an ISI student group, and forming friendships with mentors like Phil Crane and Richard V.  Allen.  

In 1965, ISI awarded Ed one of the very first Richard M. Weaver Fellowships for graduate study. At the London School of Economics, thanks to this fellowship, Ed studied under towering figures like F. A. Hayek, Peter Bauer, and Kenneth Minogue—an experience he later described as “the education of a lifetime.” Later in his career, he joined the ISI Board of Trustees, where he served for more than four decades.  

In gratitude for this lifelong relationship, ISI conferred the Charles Hoeflich Lifetime Achievement Award on Ed in 2009.

In September 2023, he returned to speak at the dedication of our Linda L. Bean Conference Center, sharing the stage with Annette Kirk and Gene Meyer in what would be his final public appearance with us. 

Ed once remarked, “ISI changed my whole life trajectory.” He believed ISI’s mission was indispensable to the future of our Republic.  

Today, we reaffirm that mission with renewed purpose. We are committed to honoring Ed’s memory by raising up the next generation of principled, thoughtful, virtuous conservative leaders. 

On behalf of all of us at ISI, I extend our deepest condolences to the Feulner family. We mourn the loss of a statesman, a happy warrior, and a friend. I will be sure to keep you apprised regarding details for his memorial service when we we have them.

Sincerely,  
​​​​Johnny Burtka
President & CEO