Denburg Edison Clifford Coleman (January 8, 1931 – February 6, 1994) was a radio pioneer, comedian and journalist. He worked primarily with

Radio Belize The Broadcasting Corporation of Belize, otherwise known as Radio Belize (using the call-sign of VPM; no relation to the current VPM-FM), was a radio station in Belize that shut down in November 1998. Until the 1980s, it was Belize's only radio st ...

and is recognized as having brought that station to a position of prominence in the small Central American nation.

Biography

Coleman was born in

Benque Viejo del Carmen Benque Viejo del Carmen ("Benque") is the westernmost town in Belize, by road west and south of Belize City, at the Guatemalan border. San Ignacio lies 13 km to the east and Melchor de Mencos just across the border. The Mopan River runs alon ...

to descendants of Honduran immigrants from Isla Roatan. Having attended primary school in Benque Viejo and high school in Belize City, he had been involved in the nationalist movement on the labour front, working with

George Price George Price may refer to: * George Price (footballer) (c. 1878–1938), footballer * George Price (cartoonist) (1901–1995), American cartoonist * George Cadle Price (1919–2011), prime minister of Belize * George E. Price (1848–1938), membe ...

and the General Workers' Union in the 1950s. He had also gotten a part-time job with

as a temporary announcer. There, at first he had only been working in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

because his bosses thought he had not had the right accent for delivering an English-language newscast. However, he had received a certificate and a job as Labour Inspector but was fired a few months later after an altercation with a fellow employee. He fell back on his job at Radio Belize and within a decade had risen to become the voice of Belize, with a sometimes risque repartee of jokes and witticisms and a ready supply of listener approved music. About this time he married childhood sweetheart Carmen "Panchita" Aguallo; they had one son, current broadcaster with Positive Vibes FM Gerard Coleman. He also had a step granddaughter, Susan Hernandez, whom he loved very much like his own blood granddaughter. He often let her speak over the radio and pick songs for the playlist. Coleman also frequently performed at the former Bliss Institute, now Center for the Performing Arts. He died in 1994, at Radio Belize's ebb in

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize. It was once the capital city, capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2022 census, Belize City has a population of 63,999 people. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a ...

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

, prior to the station's demise in 1998.

Radio style

Coleman was termed a perfectionist by some of his coworkers. But he always kept them- and listeners- on edge with his own brand of humor, much of it focused on unseen companion "Panchita", which many listeners thought represented his wife, though this was not the case. Among several bad habits was his lack of judgement with regard to time, some mornings barely making it to studios in downtown Belize City; and his rampant alcoholism, which only after several scares was repudiated in the late 1970s. Coleman succeeded because he represented the resiliency of Belizeans in the face of the many disasters affecting the nation as it struggled toward independence.

References

* Hunter, Fr. Charles, S.J. "Denburg Edison Clifford Coleman", ''Christian Herald'', Apr. 1994. * "Edison Coleman", ''Brukdown Magazine'', 1980s.

External links

Coleman in 1984, courtesy Channel 5
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Edison Belizean media personalities Trade unionists People's United Party 1931 births 1994 deaths Belizean people of Honduran descent People from Benque Viejo del Carmen