NO. R-536. HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION IN MEMORY OF
THE REVEREND WILLIAM SLOANE COFFIN OF STRAFFORD.
(H.C.R.335)
Offered by: Representatives Seibert of Norwich, Masland of Thetford,
Ancel of Calais, Aswad of Burlington, Barnard of Richmond, Bohi of
Hartford, Botzow of Pownal, Brooks of Montpelier, Chen of Mendon,
Clarkson of Woodstock, Copeland-Hanzas of Bradford, Cross of Winooski,
Deen of Westminster, Donovan of Burlington, Dowland of Holland, Edwards
of Brattleboro, Evans of Essex, Fisher of Lincoln, Frank of Underhill, French
of Randolph, Green of Berlin, Haas of Rochester, Head of S. Burlington,
Hosford of Waitsfield, Howard of Rutland City, Howrigan of Fairfield, Jewett
of Ripton, Komline of Dorset, Kupersmith of S. Burlington, Larson of
Burlington, Lippert of Hinesburg, Lorber of Burlington, Marek of Newfane,
McCullough of Williston, McLaughlin of Royalton, Milkey of Brattleboro,
Miller of Elmore, Minter of Waterbury, Molloy of Arlington, Mook of
Bennington, Nease of Johnson, Nuovo of Middlebury, Obuchowski of
Rockingham, Orr of Charlotte, Pearson of Burlington, Pellett of Chester, Pugh
of S. Burlington, Reese of Pomfret, Rusten of Halifax, Severance of
Colchester, Shand of Weathersfield, Sweaney of Windsor, Symington of
Jericho, Westman of Cambridge and Zuckerman of Burlington
Offered by: Senators Dunne and MacDonald
Whereas, Rev. William Sloane Coffin of Strafford was a true patriot who
criticized, with vigor and passion, government policies, both domestic and
foreign, that he thought to be morally unjust, and at the same time, as one
observer has written, “was as disdainful of silly anti-Americanism as he was of
jingoistic rallying cries,” and
Whereas, this remarkable human being continued a family tradition of
religious leadership in the Presbyterian Church following the footsteps, though
in his own unique direction, of an uncle, and
Whereas, before Rev. William Sloane Coffin’s graduation from the Yale
Divinity School and ordination in 1956, he had twice before been a student on
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the New Haven campus, enrolled first as a music major and later as a student
of political science, and
Whereas, although he became one of the most ardent critics of the United
States’s role in the Vietnam War, he brought an unusual background to his
stance having served as a military intelligence officer during World War II,
rising to the rank of captain, and then working for several years at the CIA
during the height of the Cold War, and
Whereas, after graduating from Yale, Rev. William Sloane Coffin served as
chaplain at both Philips Academy in Massachusetts and Williams College
before commencing his 18-year tenure as the Yale chaplain in 1958, and
Whereas, his interpretation of the Bible as meaning that direct social action
is the way to right society’s wrongs was the underpinning of his religious
beliefs and he practiced these fundamental precepts as a civil rights freedom
rider in the South and as a leader of Clergy and Laity Concerned About
Vietnam, and
Whereas, in 1976, Rev. William Sloane Coffin moved his ministry to the
famous Riverside Church in New York City, long known as a church with a
social conscience, and
Whereas, starting in 1987, he made Strafford his full-time home and
continued to speak out on behalf of the causes in which he believed so dearly,
especially the fights against homelessness and for disarmament, and
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Whereas, after doctors informed Rev. William Sloane Coffin he had only
six months to live, he spent the next four years practicing his faith in the ways
he felt best, including writing his final book entitled Letters to a Young
Doubter in which he declared “hope reflects the state of your soul rather than
the circumstances surrounding your days,” and
Whereas, his remarkable life’s journey, during which he maintained an
amazing sense of humor, came to a close on April 12 in Strafford at the age of
82, and his survivors include his wife, Virginia Wilson “Randy,” two children,
David and Amy, two stepchildren, Wil and Jessica, seven grandchildren, a
brother, Edmund “Ned,” of Strafford and a sister, Margo Lindsay, of
Lexington, Massachusetts, and
Whereas, Rev. William Sloane Coffin will most assuredly be assigned a
place of prominence in the annals of 20th century American religious, social,
and political discourse, now therefore be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
That the General Assembly extends its sympathies to the family of the
Reverend William Sloane Coffin of Strafford, and be it further
Resolved: That the secretary of state be directed to send a copy of this
resolution to Virginia Wilson “Randy” Coffin in Strafford and to Edmund
“Ned” Coffin in Strafford.
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