Coleman Randolph Seward

On March 5th, 2020, Coleman R. Seward passed away under the mindful care of Emory University Hospital Hospice after a multi-week battle with pneumonia. He was eighty-nine years old. The youngest of nine brothers and sisters, Coleman was born to Emmanuel and Anna Seward on January 6th, 1931, in Lawrenceville, VA. After serving eighteen months with the United States Army in Korea as an engineering specialist, Coleman went to Howard University where he secured a Bachelor of Science Degree and Master’s Degree in Chemistry in 1956 and 1960, respectively. Coleman worked over twenty-five years with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), serving as the Atlanta Regional Director of Science for the latter from 1975 until 1985. During his time with NIH and the FDA, Coleman published more than thirty scientific papers in leading national and international journals, and in 1974 received the FDA’s highest honor, the Award of Merit. Coleman was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity since 1954 and President of its Nu Mu Lambda chapter, 1983-85; lifetime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and President of its DeKalb County branch, 1983-84; member of the Howard University Alumni Association and President of the Atlanta Club, 1978-80; and member of The Atlanta Pro Duffers Golf Association. He wrote a weekly opinion piece for the Decatur-DeKalb News and was politically active in the community and state, including a 1985 run for the Georgia House of Representatives. Coleman was one of the pioneers who established majority-minority busing for students in DeKalb County, and was a devoted member of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta for over forty years. Coleman married Marlon Edmonds in 1956, and had two sons, Clifford and Brian. Coleman and Marlon remained married until her passing in February 2010. Coleman is survived by his sons; his daughter-in-law, Deborah; his grandchildren, Miray and Cameron; his sisters-in-law, Alto Mae and Fannie; and a loving collection of nieces, nephews and cousins. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM Thursday, March 12, 2020 at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, 1790 LaVista Road, NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30329. Gregory B. Levett & Sons Funeral Home and Crematory 4347 Flat Shoals Pkwy Decatur, GA 30034 (404) 241-5656.

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Coleman Randolph Seward

January 6, 1931 - March 5, 2020