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 ...

, 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 () – 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-block-long prope ...

of Egypt. Coleman served on active duty in the

Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve The Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) was a naval reserve force of the Royal Canadian Navy from 1923 to 1946. It replaced the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR). Foundation The RCNVR was created in 1923. The organizati ...

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 neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

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

Career

Coleman earned a B.A. from

Victoria University, Toronto Victoria University is a federated college of the University of Toronto located at the St. George campus in Downtown Toronto. The school was founded in 1836 by the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Canada as a nonsectarian literary institution. From ...

, 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, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. He was a professor at

M.I.T. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sci ...

from 1949 to 1955 and at

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

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 (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

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 $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

, 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 university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Fr ...

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 cover ...

. 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 New England town, town in Windsor County, Vermont, Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,005 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History The town was originally chartered by New Hampshire Governor Be ...

, 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 is a restaurant at 41–43 Union Street in Downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Open to diners since 1826, it is among the oldest operating restaurants in the United States and the oldest known to have been continuously operating. ...

. 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 section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a special collections library and museum founded in 1814. The Athenaeum's purpo ...

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

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 later had recurring roles as two other heroic fathers ...

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

and Brad Davis.''

Honorary degrees

* LL.D.

Beaver College Arcadia University is a private university in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, with a Glenside mailing address. The university enrolls approximately 3,200 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students. The 94-acre (380,000 m2) Glenside cam ...

, 1963 * LL.D.

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, 1968 * LL.D.

Gannon College Gannon University is a private Catholic university with campuses in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Ruskin, Florida, United States. Established in 1925, Gannon University enrolls approximately 4,600 undergraduate and graduate students annually. Its inte ...

, 1975 * L.H.D.

Manhattanville College Manhattanville University is a private university in Purchase, New York, United States. Founded in 1841 as a school at 412 Houston Street in Lower Manhattan, it was initially known as the "Academy of the Sacred Heart". In 1917, the academy recei ...

1975 * L.H.D.

Emory and Henry College Emory & Henry University (E&H or Emory) is a private university in Emory, Virginia, United States. The campus comprises of Washington County, which is part of the Appalachian highlands of Southwest Virginia. Founded in 1836, Emory & Henry U ...

, 1977 * L.H.D.

Green Mountain College Green Mountain College was a Private college, 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 of ...

, 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