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A Special Nut

The invention of peanut butter turned a lowbrow legume into a beloved staple of childhood.

William F. Buckleywas dispatched to a British boarding school when he was 12 years old. Every two weeks he would receive a care package containing a case of grapefruit and a large jar of peanut butter. For Buckley, peanut butter was more than a spread. It was an inspiration for poetry. In a 1981 National Review column, he composed his first and only poem, an ode to the paste. When Buckley passed away in February 2008, his ardor was commemorated by his son, Christopher, who enshrined four items alongside Buckley's body: his late wife's ashes, his favorite rosary beads, a television remote control and a jar of peanut...

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