Lecturer in Economics Lewis Butler `07 has been dedicated to Hillsdale College for a long time. So dedicated, in fact, that as an undergraduate sophomore he joined the President’s Club, promising the college $10,000 over 10 years. He asked the money be directed towards the cross-country team.
Butler first came to Hillsdale from Defiance, Ohio in 2003 and distinguished himself as a runner while a student, winning the GLIAC title for the 10,000 meter run and helping the cross-country team to place eighth in the nation his sophomore year.
“He’s always been at my side and at the side of so many of our athletes… His love for the school and the teams has never waned, he’s been a big part of the spirit that we’ve had here,” said Bill Lundberg, Hayden Park manager.
On top of his athletic success, “Sweet Lew,” as Lundberg called him, graduated with a major in economics and a minor in mathematics.
After leaving Hillsdale, Butler continued his education at George Mason University, where he received a master’s in economics.
On top of his work as a full-time graduate student, he did several other things with his time in Virginia, including high school track and cross-country coaching and 20 hours a week at an economics think tank. He even won a marathon.
Not only did he win the Virginia Beach Shamrock marathon, he just missed the Olympic trials qualifying time by 7 minutes.
“I wasn’t scheduled to run the marathon, I was just going to hop in and run with my friend. But when I saw that the prize money for fifth could cover our vacation rental, I talked my way into a free spot and ended up winning,” Butler said.
After earning his post-graduate degree, Butler and another Hillsdale graduate used the skills they learned during summer jobs and formed First Mate Yacht Care, a yacht detailing company serving northern Michigan in addition to boat shows around the country. He sold his half in 2011 and moved to Ann Arbor, where he formed Flagship Yacht Care with some former employees.
While in Ann Arbor, he worked for Americans for Prosperity, giving talks on conservative economic policy and doing research for the political advocacy group. He worked during the 2012 campaign for the Michigan International Bridge Initiative (Proposal 6).
In fall of 2012, Professor of Political Economy Gary Wolfram called Butler and asked him to cover the Economics 203 class for the semester.
Wolfram and Butler had been keeping connected through their work with Americans for Prosperity. Butler is part time at the moment, but he is considering going back to school for his doctorate and coming back as a “full-time Dr. Butler.”
When asked about why he’s teaching at Hillsdale, Butler emphasized that for him “Hillsdale is a unique and special place.” Butler said he believes strongly that educating at Hillsdale is “educating for liberty.”
“I’m not happy with the rest of the world right now,” Butler said. “When I pick up the paper, I’m not happy with what’s going on. Even if you don’t major in econ, it’s important to teach kids how to think: That’s how you win the battle of ideas.”
In addition to his bi-weekly lecturing at Hillsdale, Butler runs the social media for Running Fit, Inc., a Michigan-based chain of retail stores dedicated to running and fitness merchandise. He is also helping a high school friend open a charter school in Detroit focused on expeditionary learning in the underprivileged neighborhoods of the city.
The school is currently seeking a building and principal and is set to open in the fall. As for running, Butler has come down a bit from his senior year 84 mile/week average, but he still tries to run everyday.
“Lewis is an entrepreneur,” Lundberg said. “He’s got that entrepreneurial spirit, and he’s an economist too, so in terms of what he’s teaching and what he’s about, you can see that he’s a guy who’s a great thinker and going to contribute a lot to society.”