Fran Coleman

Frances (Fran) N. Coleman
Personal details
Born (1945-07-05) July 5, 1945
Denver, Colorado
Nationality American
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Ben Coleman
Children 2 children
Alma mater (Masters) University of Denver

Frances (Fran) Natividad Coleman is a former elected state representative from Colorado. Fran Coleman, a Democrat, represented House District 1 in Southwest Denver from 1998 to 2006. Fran has been a resident of the Harvey Park neighborhood since 1977. Fran has two sons Matthew and Mitchell Lopez. She is married to Ben Coleman, who has four adult children, Pam DiMarco, Steve, Craig and Wayne Coleman.

Biography

Frances (Fran) Natividad Coleman was born in Denver, Colorado at St. Joseph's Hospital (Denver, Colorado) on July 5, 1945. She was placed in St. Joseph’s Nursery Annex and then moved to a foster home on October 15, 1945. On August 6, 1946, Fran was transferred to the Infant of Prague Nursery. On January 13, 1947, she was transferred to the Queen of Heaven Orphanage.

Responding to the call delivered by Father Domingo Morera, Fran was adopted by her migrant parents Bacilio Natividad and Cliofas Gonzales Hernandez Natividad. The Natividads also adopted a son David as well. The adoptions were finalized in Weld County in 1950.

Fran and her new family lived in Weld County on a farm located four miles northwest of Gilcrest, Colorado and four miles southwest of Milliken, Colorado.

Bacilio and Cliofas provided for their young family by boarding field workers on the farm while Bacilio followed the crops in Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, and Colorado.

On January 2, 1952, Fran’s mother Cliofas died in an accident; Fran was 6 years old at the time.

After her mother’s death, Fran’s father desperately tried to find childcare for his children while he was away working the crops, shepherding or working for the railroad. After six months of struggling, Fran and her brother David eventually went to live with her Aunt and Uncle for stability. Her father returned from seasonal work every six months to visit.

Sadly, tragedy struck the family again, when Fran was a junior in high school. Her father Bacilio was killed in a hit and run accident. Fran persevered and graduated from Valley High School (Gilcrest, Colorado) in May 1964 as an honor roll student and received the Redmond Scholarship.

Upon graduation, Fran moved to Denver to work for Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph as an entry-level clerk. She married in 1965 and moved to St. Louis, Missouri where she became a mother of two sons, Mitchell and Matthew. While in Missouri, she worked for Southwestern Bell and the Ferguson Police Department. The family moved back to Denver in 1969 and Fran resumed employment at Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph.

In 1979, Fran maintained three jobs; manager at Mountain Bell, single mother and college student. She successfully worked her way through college earning a Business Administration Degree from Loretto Heights College in 1987. In 1993, Fran earned a Master of Science in Telecommunications from the University of Denver. She worked in the telecommunications industry for 31 years eventually retiring in April 1998 in order to campaign for State Representative in House District 1.

Legislative career

Colorado State Representative, House District 1

Fran announced her candidacy for Colorado State Representative House District 1 on February 1. Her platform included three principle issues:

  1. Education – The quality of public schools and adult literacy.
  2. Transportation – Better roads and highways, cost effective commuter rail and efficient bus systems.
  3. Environment – Sustainable water policies, stewardship of State Parks and natural resources.

Fran Coleman was elected State Representative for House District 1, located in Arapahoe, Denver and Jefferson Counties, on November 3, 1998. She was re-elected in November 2000, 2002, and 2004.

Colorado General Assembly

Representative Fran Coleman was elected to the 62nd, 63rd, 64th and the 65th Colorado General Assembly. She served as a member of the following committees: Agriculture, Livestock, & Natural Resources; Business Affairs & Labor; Information & Technology; Transportation & Energy; Local Government; Finance; Health, Environment, Welfare, & Institutions; and State, Veterans, & Military Affairs.

Legislation

Representative Coleman was the primary sponsor of a total of 109 bills and resolutions. Of this number, 59 were House Bills, 35 were Senate Bills and 15 were either resolutions or memorials. Representative Coleman’s foremost issues included public safety, education and consumer protection.

Community service

As a teenager, Fran was involved in giving back to the community. She volunteered teaching young mothers about the importance of nutrition for their babies, and became a "soccer mom" at her boys' school before the term was popular. She helped with their sports teams, provided transportation, snacks and support.

In 1979, she became the Chairwoman of Reading is Fundamental (RIF) at her sons' school and raised hundreds of dollars to buy books for inner-city children. For many, those were the first books they ever owned.

Fran taught at her church and mentored teenagers and young adults in life skills. As Parish Council President, she spent numerous volunteer hours fundraising which in 1984 helped build a new church for Presentation of Our Lady.

While at US West, (now CenturyLink®) she was the fundraising chairwoman that partnered with the Latin American Educational Foundation (LAEF), and provided thousands of dollars in scholarships to first generation students pursuing higher education. As a member of the Colorado Optometric Board, she spent many rewarding hours in leading efforts to provide glasses and services to the legally blind.

Civic engagement

Awards

Education

References

    [1]

    [2]

    1. ↑ Moncrief, Gary F.; Squire, Peverill; Jewell, Malcolm E. (August 29, 2001). Who Runs for the Legislature?. Prentice Hall. ISBN 0130266086.
    2. ↑ McCaslin, Nikki; Uhrlaub, Richard; Grotzky, Marilyn (January 18, 2010). Finding Our Place: 100 Memorable Adoptees, Fostered Persons, and Orphanage Alumni. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313342709.
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