Coleman, Robert Alfonzo
(born: 1932)Civil rights activist Robert A. Coleman was born in Hopkinsville, KY. He was a postal carrier in Paducah, KY, the first African American president of the Paducah Local of the National Association of Letter Carriers, and the first to chair the executive board of the state association.
Coleman was a city commissioner in Paducah beginning in 1973 and also served as mayor pro tem for six years. He is a 32-Degree Mason and past Master of Stone Square Lodge #5. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
In 2005, Coleman was inducted into the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights Hall of Fame. In 2009, the Blackburn Park in Paducah was renamed the Robert Coleman Park.
For more see Who's Who Among African Americans, 1975-2006; the Robert A. Coleman interview [text and audio] in the Kentucky Historical Society, Civil Rights Movement in Kentucky, Oral History Project; Fuller, Leeanne, Paducah's longest serving elected official, Robert Coleman, has passed away, Nov. 21, 2020, WPSD Local 6's website; and Ferrell, Kelly, Coleman remembered as 'godly' man, 'excellent' leader, Nov. 22, 2020, on the Paducah Sun</em website.