expanded introductory remarks for the diploma ceremony of
TRANSCRIPT
Saturday, 31 May 20032:00 PMSSS 114
Grove and College StreetNew Haven, CT
The Reverend William Sloane Coffin, Jr.Expanded Introductory Remarks for the Diploma Ceremony of
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“Bright College years…”Few of us knew
what we were infor when wewalked throughPhelpes Gate andinto Old Campus.
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Fortunately,we had aprinted guidewhich made itpossible to getto know oneanother.
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In the Old Campuspublication we all had“page-mates,” and wesoon came to know oneanother. We matchedfaces to impressions andformed life-longfriendships as weprogressed throughfreshman year andbeyond.
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We were a mixedgroup which theAdmissions Officehad made aconscious effort torecruit and acceptfrom a widevariety of publicschools across thecountry.
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In addition there werestudents from privateschools and academies,some of whom, (as wewere to learn), came toYale as “legacies,”shouldering the heavyburden of a familytradition whichpreceded them at Yale.
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Although Bill hadpreviously beenChaplain at AndoverAcademy andWilliams College,when he started atYale, he lookedalmost as young aswe did….
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At Yale he wasunstintingly generouswith his time andconcern.
We spent many mealsand many evenings athis house on WallStreet.
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If you had anargument with Bill,you could rarely“win.”
This could beirritating --especially whenyou were right andhe was wrong….
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No matter how wronghe was, his winningsmile, and turn ofphrase left youwanting for words,speechless.
You felt enveloped,embraced by a largeand magnanimoussoul.
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You knew he wasmore than just a“nice guy.” He wasa good man.
His manner exerteda kind of magneticpull on you.
You sensed he was aforce of naturetoward whom youcould not help but bedrawn.
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How could youwin an argumentwith this guy?
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He influenced us inways we didn’tfully realize at thetime.
Bill smoked a pipeat the time...
…many of us tookup pipe smoking.
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Most importantlythough, Bill spokecourageously for manyof us at Yale. On 20October 1967 thenation heard what hehad to say.
We were just startingSenior Year….whenwe picked up thenewspaper, and saw atroubling sight.
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There was ourChaplain -- inWashington, D.C. --getting arrested.
He was laterindicted, tried andconvicted for aidingand abetting thosewho chose to resistthe draft.
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Billcontinued tospeak outboth offcampus andon campusthroughoutour senioryear…..
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Some of hiscomments weredirected straightto the Yalefaculty, who hefelt should applytheir best insightsto the crises thatstudents werefacing.
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Some otherstatementswere made toa wideraudience.
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The Class of 1968 wasone of the last of theall male classes beforeYale became a co-edinstitution.
Whether or not wewere particularlybroad minded, ourChaplain was willingto reach out in adaring manner to newand unfamiliaraudiences.
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Other Yale graduates ofBill’s era who were moreadept than Bill at selfpromotion tried from time totime to speak for “God atYale” -- without convincingsuccess.
Nevertheless, they continueto reprint the same materialagain and again, suggesting,perhaps, that their Theologyhas not evolved very much infifty years.
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Over the course of4 years, our friendsand “page-mates”in the Old Campusdirectory developedand revealed theiressential characterto us all.
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And, as popularmovies sometimessuggest, basicfriendships andelements ofcharacter formed inschool years oftenlast a lifetime.
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Some in our class-- as in otherYale classes --went on to dothings in the“public eye”when they leftYale.
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As for Bill, after leavingYale, he continued to talkand write on burningproblems of “PublicMorality,” including civilrights issues, globaleconomic injustice andworld wide environmentaldevastation caused bycorporate greed andmisguided public policy.
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Copyright, ©, Gary Trudeau. The New York Times, 28 May 2003
Bill’s messages were interpreted differently by each of us.Some classmates seem to be trying hard to redouble theircommitment to new levels of compassionate conservatism.
But, as Bill has pointed out, since 9/11 the administration’sroving advisors have missed the point. They seem to want usto believe that the needy are greedy and the greedy are needy.
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Copyright, ©, Gary Trudeau. The New York Times, 28 May 2003
In any case, at least some of Bill Coffin’s insightshave apparently endured in the minds of other membersof the Class of 1968. And today -- just as in 1968 --these ideas can have costly personal consequences....
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Despite disagreeing with Bill at times, PresidentBrewster -- to his infinite credit -- ultimately supportedBill against the criticisms of many alumni. Had hefailed to support Bill it is likely he would have faced amajor student revolt from the Class of 1968.
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Having presided over many degree ceremonies,Bill Coffin has now earned a unique diploma ofhis own from the Class of 1968 for his life-longcommitment to matters of conscience.
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Class of 1968 Diploma presented to Bill Coffin, 31 May 2003
The Reverend
William Sloane Coffin, Jr
Permanent Chaplain tothe Yale Class of 1968