Reverend Who Inspired 'Doonesbury' Character Dies

By: E&P Staff Doonesbury.com today linked to an Associated Press article about the death of Rev. William Sloane Coffin.

Why? AP noted that the Rev. Scot Sloan character in Garry Trudeau's comic was partly modeled after Coffin, a peace activist and fighter for social justice who served as chaplain of Yale University -- Trudeau's alma mater.

Coffin, who died yesterday in Vermont at the age of 81, had also been minister of Riverside Church in New York City.

Trudeau, whose comic appears in 1,400 newspapers via Universal Press Syndicate, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Last year, another man who inspired a "Doonesbury" character died. Journalist Hunter Thompson was the partial model for Duke.