featured numerous debates on economic, political, and social issues, and even extreme viewpoints were entertained. Such episodes included discussions about the New Deal, press freedom, and labor unions. During World War II, the broadcasts focused on wartime discussions, which tended to be controversial among the audience members. Other episodes of the 1940s included discussions on racial issues, with both Langston Hughes and Clare Boothe Luce; preventing world famine; the legality of communism, with Joseph McCarthy; and dependency on welfare, with Hubert Humphrey. After World War II, episodes tended to focus on international relations. Town Hall is still used in the modern day for political debates and speeches. In 1996, Town Hall hosted a debate between columnists from the left-wing magazine The Nation and the right-wing magazine National Review. Town Hall also hosted a summit in 2000 in opposition to globalization, as well as a 2016 debate between U.S. presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. Educational programs Educational programs were also provided at Town Hall. In 1941, Town Hall Inc. hosted the Town Hall Leadership School, a short course that taught adults to become certified teachers, and the First National Town Hall Conference, a forum and discussion group composed of leaders from across the U.S. A Red Cross defense course opened at Town Hall in 1943. Town Hall also began offering courses for adults in topics such as national politics, writing, philosophy, psychology, and world affairs in 1944. These courses attracted nearly 2,500 students in their first year. Memorials and commencements In 1929, the American Civil Liberties Union booked Town Hall for a memorial service for anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti after the memorial was rejected by venues in Boston. The actor John Drew was memorialized in 1932, as was Jane Addams in 1935. The short film St. Louis Blues premiered at Town Hall during a memorial for blues singer Bessie Smith on January 1, 1948. Town Hall has also hosted commencements from schools and colleges. In the venue's early years, those included local institutions such as the School for Printing Pressmen and the Mechanics Institute, De La Salle Institute, and Calhoun School. Commencements continued through the late 20th century, such as those for the City University of New York's Graduate Center in the 1990s. The Community Church of New York started using Town Hall as a house of worship in 1933, when the church's old building was demolished. The church