Dr. John B. Coleman
Dr. John B. Coleman was born on November 25, 1929. He completed his undergraduate studies at Fisk University in Nashville and received his medical degree at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D. C. in 1956. Dr. Coleman trained as an obstetrician and gynecologist.
Upon completing his training, Dr. Coleman moved to Houston where he later served as chief of obstetrics and gynecology and chief of staff at Riverside General Hospital. He opened his private practice in 1962.
Dr. Coleman was also a businessman; he owned the radio station KCOH and served on the Houston Citizens Chamber of Commerce. Like other African-American professionals and businessmen, Dr. Coleman worked behind the scenes to support the Houston sit-in movement.
During his life, Dr. Coleman showed deep concern for the education of younger generations. He served on the board of regents for Texas Southern University and Texas A&M University. He served as an advisory board member of the University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center and the Houston Area Alliance of Black School Educators. He was also the chairman of the local board of the United Negro College Fund.
Dr. Coleman was an important force in Prairie Valley A&M University receiving a share of Texas’s permanent university fund, which had been distributed only to the University of Texas and Texas A&M previously. In 1988, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents voted unanimously to name PVAMU’s new library in honor of Dr. Coleman.
Dr. Coleman died on March 5, 1994 at the age of 64. To commemorate his achievements, the new health science center of Houston Community College was named for him. Riverside General Hospital has named the outstanding youth award in his honor. The annual award encourages outstanding students in the medical field. The Texas Legislature also named a state highway, the Harris County section of Highway 35, in his honor.
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