Description: This is part 1 of 1 of a sermon and luncheon talk given by Reverend William Coffin at First Methodist Church in Seattle on April 24, 1988.

William Sloane Coffin (1924-2006) was an outspoken advocate for peace and civil rights issues. He served as the University Chaplain at Yale for 18 years before becoming senior minister at Riverside Church in 1977. Coffin participated in the Freedom Rides of the civil rights movement, led anti-war protests during the Vietnam era and was vocal in his support of nuclear disarmament. 

Although it does not feature an official interview, this recording is believed to be part of the Donald Schmechel Oral History Collection. Don Schmechel, who was a member of the Seattle Public Library Foundation board, began this project with Seattle Public Library in 1984, with the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) brought on board as a partner in early 1985. Schmechel himself worked to raise the funding for the project, and volunteered his time to manage the project, and to conduct interviews along with a crew of volunteers. Originally titled the Videotaping Historic Figures (VHF) Program, the project interviewed 91 people, with a portion of the interviews entering the collections of the Seattle Public Library and a portion of them going to MOHAI.The interviews conducted with these Seattle civic, business and cultural leaders in 1985 are valuable first-hand accounts that provide insight into developments taking place in the mid-twentieth century. 

Digitization of this videotape material has been made possible in part by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

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