Friday September 21, 2007 at 10:00 AM Shreveport Mayor Cedric B. Glover will unveil a bronze marker that will permanently mark the site of Shreveport’s historic Coleman College. Erected in Shreveport in 1944, it was the first institution of higher learning for African Americans in Northwest Louisiana. Coleman College prided itself in producing some of the most highly educated and respected religious leaders and committed educators, who over the years made their own marks in Shreveport history.

Originally founded in Gibsland, Louisiana in 1887 by Professor Oliver Lewis Coleman, Coleman Baptist Male and Female College opened its doors to educate the children of freed slaves in north Louisiana. Supported by the Southern Baptist Church, at the height of its existence Coleman College owned some 100 acres of land of which 10 were devoted to educational purposes. The college moved to Shreveport and opened in 1944 in the Mooretown Community, on property that today houses Shreveport’s historic Winnfield Funeral Home at 3701 Hollywood Avenue.

The Great grandson of Professor Oliver Lewis Coleman is Mayor John Marks of Tallahassee, Florida. Mayor Marks, his mother and other family members will join Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover, District F Councilman Joe Shyne and other dignitaries Friday morning for the unveiling. “This ceremony is a reminder of the rich history of our City and instills a sense of pride as we see how the vision of the son of slaves touched so many lives, molding those who would become leaders and shape our communities”, says Mayor Glover.

“We are proud to have Mayor Marks with us as we commemorate Coleman College in Shreveport.

Former teachers, students, families and relatives of Coleman College Alumni and members of the media are invited Friday September 21, 2007 at 10:00 AM to Coleman College Park, at 6200 Coleman College Street (under the Jewella Avenue Overpass) for the ceremony to commemorate Coleman College in Shreveport.

Shreveport Community Liaison Officers, Neighborhood Assistance Team Members and Auxiliary Officers will be in the area of Winnfield Funeral Home, Crosby and Singletary Streets in the Mooretown Community to help direct traffic to the park.

Friday September 21

10:00 AM

Coleman College Park

6200 Coleman College Street

(Under the Jewella Avenue Overpass)

Biography - Professor Oliver Lewis Coleman

Oliver Lewis Coleman was born on a plantation, the son of slaves, in 1863 in Livingstone, Mississippi. His first teachers were rich and highly educated Southern Whites, followed by educators from Boston, Canada and England. Following this early educational training and in recognition of his intellectual abilities, he attended Alcorn University in Lorman, Mississippi where he continued his studies with emphasis on Hebrew, Greek and Latin. After graduation from Alcorn he further advanced with post graduate studies at Chautauqua University in New York and Chicago University where he was often the only African American in his class.

In 1888 he found his way to Gibsland, Louisiana to begin his career as an educator. In 1890, with ten students, Coleman Baptist Male and Female College opened its doors to educate the children of freed slaves in northern Louisiana. The institution’s primary vision and mission was to produce teachers and preachers.

Supported by the Southern Baptist Church, at the height of its existence Coleman College owned some 100 acres, of which ten were devoted to educational purposes. There were eight buildings which included classrooms, auditoriums, dormitories and an administrative building. Extracurricular activities included the Coleman College Choir, a Glee Club and intercollegiate athletics. Nicknamed the Bulldogs, Coleman College’s chief athletic rival was the Grambling College Tigers. Enrollment reached as high as 400 in some years and Coleman College graduated hundreds of teachers and preachers before closing its doors in 1944. Among its graduates were the first president of Louisiana’s Southern University, Dr. J.S. Clark, and Ada Bell Lewis Coleman, the mother of Mildred Coleman Marks, Georgia Coleman McClaron and Geraldine Coleman Gaillord (the oldest surviving heirs) and the late McVicker Monroe Coleman, Jr. Professor Coleman, leaves behind a strong legacy of public service through his great grandson John R. Marks III, the Mayor of the City of Tallahassee, Florida.

Professor Coleman, founder and president of Coleman College, died March of 1927 in Jackson, Mississippi as a result of injuries suffered in an automobile accident.

Coleman College re-opened in Shreveport in late 1944. By the year 1946 the school’s Board of Trustees had paid the last note on property that was located where Winnfield Funeral Home now sits in the Mooretown Community at 3701 Hollywood Avenue. Decreased enrollment caused the school to go out of existence in the mid-1950s