William Sloane Coffin

William Sloane Coffin was a man with a wild career: he fought in World War II, worked for the CIA after the war, became a "man of the cloth", was thrown in jail as a civil rights marcher with Dr. Martin Luther King, and was an academic, author, and an activist.

Unfortunately he left the building April 12th, 2006. Too soon, too soon....

When I first met Coffin in 1995, he was at Lawrence University, Appleton, WI, as Stephen Edward Scarff Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies. His interests there included "nuclear disarmament, homophobia, [and the] christian right". Here are a few of their press releases and associated items:

• Peace talk
• On Nuclear Proliferation
• On Homosexuality

He was selected by Ripon College President Paul Ranslow to give Ranslow's beautiful installation speech, in Ripon, WI.

It was at Ripon that I came to appreciate Coffin, especially once I read his book "A Passion for the Possible". His autobiography "Once to Every Man" is also great, and one that I aspire to illustrate with photos from WSC's collection on the web one day.

Additional links:

Family Tree Nuclear Dangers in the 21st Century Here are a pair of Coffin's sermons: the first given at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley, and the excerpts of the second, given at Yale. America's Defense Monitor: Eliminating nuclear weapons Nuclear dangers in the 21st century Modern American Patriot: William Sloane Coffin a piece from Dartmouth College, 1997. an interview in Detroit William Sloane Coffin and Charles H. "Kelly" Clark (November 8, 1999) William Sloane Coffin's Eulogy for his son Alexander, who died in a car accident.

Overheard: About George W. ("Shrub") Bush: 'Days after his father lost the 1964 Senate race against Ralph Yarborough, one of the most liberal senators, the first son, walking on campus, introduced himself to Yale's leftist chaplain, William Sloane Coffin Jr., who said, "Oh, yes, I know your father. Frankly, he was beaten by a better man." Says Minutaglio, "For the next thirty-five years, that encounter with Coffin would resonate in Bush's mind."' ( from the Chicago Tribune)