John Royston "Jack" Coleman (June 24, 1921 – September 6, 2016) was a labor economist, college and foundation president, television host, and author of ''Blue-Collar Journal''.

Biography

Jack Coleman was born in the town of

Copper Cliff This is a list of neighbourhoods in the urban core of Greater Sudbury, Ontario. This list includes only those neighbourhoods that fall within the pre-2001 city limits of Sudbury — for communities within the former suburban municipalities, see t ...

, Ontario, Canada, on June 24, 1921, the second of three children of Richard Mowbray Coleman and Mary Irene Lawson. His uncle was Major-General Sir Charlton Watson Spinks, the last

Sirdar The rank of Sirdar ( ar, سردار) – a variant of Sardar – was assigned to the British Commander-in-Chief of the British-controlled Egyptian Army in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Sirdar resided at the Sirdaria, a three-blo ...

of Egypt. Coleman served on active duty in the

Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve The Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) was a naval reserve force of the Royal Canadian Navy, which replaced the Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR). Foundation The RCNVR was created in 1923. The organization was established ...

in World War II, rising to the rank of commander. Shortly after being invited to officer school, he married Mary Norrington Irwin (1922–2011), an artist and writer who was the daughter of William Andrew Irwin and granddaughter of

John Fletcher McLaughlin John Fletcher McLaughlin (1863–1933) was Professor of Oriental Languages and Literature at Victoria University, Toronto from 1892–1932, Dean of the Faculty of Theology there from 1920 to 1928, and founding registrar of Emmanuel College, ...

, both academics. The couple had three sons, two daughters, and seven grandchildren. Coleman died of

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

on September 6, 2016, at the age of 95.

Career

Coleman earned a B.A. from

Victoria University, Toronto Victoria University is a federated university forming part of the wider University of Toronto, and was founded in 1836. The undergraduate section of the university is Victoria College, informally ''Vic'', after the original name of the univers ...

, in 1943 and an M.A. in 1949 and Ph.D. in 1950 in Economics, both from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. He was a professor at

M.I.T. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

from 1949 to 1955 and at

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

from 1955 to 1965, serving as Dean of the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences at the latter institution for the final two years of his time there. During this period, he hosted the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

economics program "Money Talks". He was recruited away by the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

, where he was first Associate Director of Economic Development and Administration and later Program Officer in Charge of Social Development. He was named the 9th president of

Haverford College Haverford College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducational ...

in 1967 and led the institution until 1977, at which time he resigned over the unwillingness of the board to make the men's college co-educational. This step was eventually taken in 1980 and Coleman was awarded an honorary doctorate by Haverford the same year. While at Haverford, he also served as chairman of the board of the

Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia — also known as the Philadelphia Fed or the Philly Fed — headquartered at 10 Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is responsible for the Third District of the Federal Reserve, which covers ...

. From 1977 to 1986 he was president of the

Edna McConnell Clark Foundation The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (also McConnell Clark Foundation, Clark Foundation, or EMCF) is a New York-based institution that currently focuses on providing opportunities for low-income youth (ages 9–24) in the United States. The Founda ...

, after which he ran a country inn in

Chester, Vermont Chester is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,005 at the 2020 census. History The town was originally chartered by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth as Flamstead in 1754. The terms of the charter were n ...

, and was actively involved in local arts and education.

''Blue-Collar Journal''

During his time at Haverford, Coleman took a sabbatical in which he put his academic work to the test by working a variety of blue-collar jobs, including ditch-digger, garbageman, prison warden (and inmate), and "salad-and-sandwich man" at

Union Oyster House Union Oyster House, open to diners since 1826, is amongst the oldest operating restaurants in the United States, and the oldest known that has been continuously operating since being opened. The building was listed as a National Historic Landmark ...

. He wrote about these experiences for ''New York'' magazine and in a book, ''Blue-Collar Journal: A College President's Sabbatical'', awarded the

Athenaeum of Philadelphia The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, located at 219 S. 6th Street between St. James Place and Locust Street in the Society Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a special collections library and museum founded in 1814 to collect materials ...

Literary Award A literary award or literary prize is an award presented in recognition of a particularly lauded literary piece or body of work. It is normally presented to an author. Organizations Most literary awards come with a corresponding award ceremony. Ma ...

for 1974, among other honors. It was made into the 1976 television movie ''The Secret Life of John Chapman, starring

Ralph Waite Ralph Waite (June 22, 1928 – February 13, 2014) was an American actor, best known for his lead role as John Walton Sr. on ''The Waltons'' (1972–1981), which he occasionally directed. He also had recurring roles in '' NCIS'' as Jackson Gibb ...

Susan Anspach Susan Florence Anspach (; November 23, 1942 – April 2, 2018) was an American stage, film and television actress, who was best known for her roles in films during the 1970s and 1980s such as ''Five Easy Pieces'' (1970), '' Play It Again, Sa ...

and Brad Davis.''

Honorary degrees

LL.D.

Beaver College Arcadia University is a private university in Glenside, Pennsylvania. The university enrolls approximately 4,000 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students. The campus features Grey Towers Castle, a National Historic Landmark. History B ...

, 1963
LL.D.

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, 1968
LL.D.

Gannon College Gannon University is a private Catholic university in Erie, Pennsylvania. Gannon University has approximately 4,500 students and 46,000 alumni. Its intercollegiate athletics include 18 athletic programs for men and women competing at the NCAA D ...

, 1975
L.H.D.

Manhattanville College Manhattanville College is a private university in Purchase, New York. Founded in 1841 at 412 Houston Street in lower Manhattan, it was initially known as Academy of the Sacred Heart, then after 1847 as Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart ...

1975
L.H.D.

Emory and Henry College Emory & Henry College (E&H or Emory) is a private liberal arts college in Emory, Virginia. The campus comprises of Washington County, which is part of the Appalachian highlands of Southwest Virginia. Founded in 1836, Emory & Henry College is ...

, 1977
L.H.D.

Green Mountain College Green Mountain College was a private liberal arts college in Poultney, Vermont, at the foot of the Taconic Mountains between the Green Mountains and Adirondacks. The college was affiliated with the United Methodist Church and offered a liberal a ...

, 1984
D.Litt.

, 1980
D.Litt.

Marlboro College Marlboro College was a private college in Marlboro, Vermont. Founded in 1946, it remained intentionally small, operating as a self-governing community with students following self-designed degree plans culminating in a thesis. In 1998 the colle ...

, 1991
D.S.L.

, 1994

References

{{s-end 1921 births 2016 deaths Haverford College faculty Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty Carnegie Mellon University faculty University of Chicago alumni Presidents of Haverford College Canadian emigrants to the United States