Frank Coleman

Frank "Tick" Coleman (February 29, 1912 – Christmas 2008) was an educator and community volunteer. Born in Philadelphia, Coleman grew up in its Point Breeze neighborhood. He was one of the first black Eagle Scouts. Coleman is noted for supporting those institutions that helped him succeed and mentoring many youth in the city of Philadelphia. Early years While at Logan Elementary School, he acquired the nickname "Tick" because his classmates said he could do things in a "few ticks of the clock." Because of segregation when Coleman was growing up in the 1920s, blacks were not allowed in at most city-run swimming pools. At that time, the YMCA was also segregated, so Coleman and his friends swam at the Christian Street YMCA, founded in the 1880s by African Americans in South Philadelphia. Coleman would then go on to serve the YMCA for more than 80 years. Coleman first joined the Scouts in Troop 181 at a neighborhood Episcopal Church. This was in accordance with the wishes of his mother, who wanted him to have something to do after school. Coleman persevered in Scouting despite the societal prejudices of the day. In a ceremony at the Union League, Coleman earned his Eagle rank in October 1926 at age 15 (one of the first three known black Eagle Scouts). At that time, he was a freshman at Central High School.