Yale Bulletin and Calendar

April 22, 2005|Volume 33, Number 27|Two-Week Issue

The Reverend William Sloane Coffin Jr.

Event honors former Yale chaplain's
ministry, activism

The Divinity School will pay tribute to "The Public Witness and Ministry of William Sloane Coffin Jr.," Thursday and Friday, April 28 and 29.

The Reverend William Sloane Coffin Jr. '49 B.A., '56 B.D., who served as University chaplain from the late 1950s to mid-1970s, has been described throughout his life by words such as "visionary," "prophetic conscience," "restless searcher" and "joyfully embattled Christian." From his arrest as a "Freedom Rider" in the South to his role as a leader of the Vietnam War protests, Coffin was a controversial figure as he led the flock at Battell Chapel to new levels of activism.

When Yale awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 2002, his citation read: "Pastor, prophet, friend: your legacy at Yale and around the world is enduring. Here at your alma mater, you changed the shape of college chaplaincy and inspired a generation of young people to challenge injustice. From the Battell pulpit, from the Riverside pulpit and from the bully pulpit, you urged, in the civil rights and anti-war movements, adherence to the highest moral principles. You have lived a life of service for God, for country and for Yale."

Despite ill heath, Coffin plans to attend the two-day event, where he will join many of those who were personally touched by his ministry, including Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau, B.A. '70, M.F.A.G. '73, L.H.D. '76; Yale football legend Calvin Hill, B.A. '69; and Paul Stookey and Peter Yarrow of the group Peter, Paul and Mary, who were fellow voyagers on Coffin's journey through the turbulent civil rights and Vietnam years.

The celebration honoring Coffin will include two panel discussions, which are free and open to the public. The first, titled "Faith & Activism: the Legacy of the Sixties Generation," will be held at 5 p.m. on Thursday in the Divinity School's Marquand Chapel, 409 Prospect St. The second, "The Future of Ministry in the Prophetic Tradition," will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday in the Divinity School common room.

The panelists will include Harold Koh, dean of the Yale Law School; theologian Bryan Hehir; preacher Barbara Brown Taylor; Stanford University Chaplain Scotty McLennan; sociologist Kai Erikson; Episcopal Church Bishop John Chane; and musician-preacher Dwight Andrews, among others.

"An Evening with Bill Coffin," a reception and banquet honoring the chaplain, will be held Thursday evening in University Commons, corner of College and Grove streets. Those wishing to attend the evening's events must register in advance by the end of the day on Friday, April 22. The registration fee is $40 per person.

The two-day celebration will also include a symposium and panel discussion titled "God and War at Yale," to be held 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Thursday in Battell Chapel, corner of Elm and College streets. This event, which is open to the public, is sponsored by Historians Against the War, Reclaiming the Prophetic Voice, Yale Alumni for Social Justice and the Yale Peace Coalition.

The Coffin celebration will also include a worship service at 10:30 a.m. on Friday in Marquand Chapel.

During his years as Yale chaplain, Coffin was heavily involved in the civil rights movement, anti-war protests and international relief work. Early in the 1960s, he was one of the "Freedom Riders" who rode buses together in the South to challenge segregation laws. In 1965, he joined other religious leaders to form the National Emergency Committee of Clergy Concerned about Vietnam. As the Vietnam War escalated, Coffin organized mobilizations, supported conscientious objectors and acts of civil disobedience, and urged churches and synagogues to offer sanctuary to draft resisters. At an October 1967 protest in Boston, over 1,000 draft resisters turned in their draft cards at a church service led by Coffin, resulting in his indictment on charges of conspiracy to aid draft resisters -- charges that were ultimately dropped.

Coffin left Yale in December 1975 and two years later assumed the senior minister position at Riverside Church in New York City. At Riverside, he devoted his energies to a variety of human rights causes, including the fight against world hunger and poverty, disarmament and homelessness. He left Riverside Church in 1987 to become president of SANE/FREEZE, which was renamed Peace Action in 1993. In retirement, he has written several national best sellers.

Questions about the celebration in honor of Coffin can be directed to Jane Beamon at (203) 432-5358 or jane.beamon@yale.edu.

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IN MEMORIAM

Biologist Dr. Alvin Novick, noted advocate for people with AIDS

Lloyd Reynolds, shaped fields of labor relations and economics