DANIEL TYLER GOODEN / L’Observateur / February 11, 2000

GRAMERCY – Betty Coleman.

Mention the name in Gramercy, as well as the River Parishes, and it will lead to replies commending a devoted town alderman, dedicated teacher and inspiring community leader.

Coleman was born and raised in Gramercy, along with eight siblings, by her parents, Alexander and Beatric Cooper. It didn’t take long to see sheColeman was a driven individual.

Graduating in 1955 as valedictorian at Cypress Grove High School, she went on to college to pursue mathematics. She received a bachelor’s degree inchemistry and mathematics at Southern University and continued on for her master’s.

Awarded a stipend for her studying by the National Science Foundation, she studied at various universities across the country and received her master’s degree at Nicholls State. Instructed in the “new math” of the 1960’s, shereturned home to follow a teaching career.

Beverly White, supervisor for St. James Parish Schools at the time, saw thepotential in Coleman to instruct the parish schools in the new form of math.

Coleman designed a program titled “A New Outlook on Math” and instructed her fellow teachers in the new math processes.

Coleman continued teaching across the River Parishes for 40 years. She hasbeen a consultant for an LSU writing project, conducted math and learning workshops from St. Charles to Ascension parishes and continues to workwith the St. James Parish School Board as a community representativehelping design and implement various programs.

A highly decorated woman, Coleman has received many awards and honors for her work as teacher and community leader. The first year it wasawarded, 1986-87, she received St. Rose Elementary School’s Teacher ofthe Year award. Coleman was the president of the St. Charles ReadingCouncil in 1989-90 and was awarded, along with four others, an award as founder of the council by then Gov. Edward in 1993. Also in 1993 Colemanwas honored by the Black Women’s Coalition of Lutcher and Gramercy and also received the Outstanding Educator Award from the NAACP, St. JamesChapter 6315.

Long before she chose to run for a position as Gramercy alderman, Coleman had been striving to make her community a better place.

In 1990 about 50 families in the Golden Grove area were living among the Gramercy residents but outside town and voting lines. Coleman worked duringthat year to include those families within the Gramercy corporation, and she won them their right to vote.

Coleman worked to get residential streets that were too narrow to support two-lane traffic routed as one-way lanes to prevent accidents.

Along with her brother, Ricky Cooper, the Cooper Family Enterprise, a non- profit organization, was founded. The company includes the Toddler HouseDay Care Centers, which have facilities on both banks of the river.

The care centers operate under the guidelines of the Louisiana State Department and are rated as Class A facilities. The centers have lessonplans for education and strive to develop the children’s mental, physical and social skills.

By 1994 Coleman decided she “had been in the community all (her) days and that (she) owed something back.” So she ran for town alderman and won,becoming the first African-American to serve as alderman in Gramercy. Shecontinues to serve and is now in her second term.

As alderman, Coleman founded the Gramercy Concerned Citizen Organization so the people of Gramercy could “acknowledge that this is their community and address concerns and problems in the district,” said Coleman. They alsoprovide a place where campaigning individuals can express their positions and engage others in debate.

Talking to Coleman, one can see she truly strives for the betterment of the children she teaches and the community she serves. She seeks to teach the”true values in life.”It’s not what you have, but what you can combine with the qualities and skills of others. “Then that little that you have can make you a wealthy person,”she said.

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