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,Coleman 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,Coleman 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.
Coleman 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,Coleman's mother Cliofas died in an accident;Fran was six years old at the time.
After her mother's death,Coleman'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,Coleman 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.
When Coleman was a junior in high school her father Bacilio was killed in a hit and run accident. Fran graduated from Valley High School (Gilcrest,Colorado) in May 1964 as an honor roll student and received the Redmond Scholarship.
Upon graduation,Coleman 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,Coleman 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,Coleman 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.
Coleman has been a resident of the Harvey Park neighborhood since 1977. Coleman 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.
Legislative career
Colorado State Representative,House District 1
Coleman announced her candidacy for Colorado State Representative House District 1 on February 1. Her platform included three principle issues:
- Education –The quality of public schools and adult literacy.
- Transportation –Better roads and highways,cost effective commuter rail and efficient bus systems.
- Environment –Sustainable water policies,stewardship of State Parks and natural resources.
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.
- Appointed to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee,2000 - 2006
- Chairwoman of Auto Insurance Interim Study Committee,2005
- Chairwoman of Legislative Audit Committee,2001
- Appointed as Commissioner on Information Management Commission,2000 - 2006
- Chairwoman of IMC Policy Subcommittee,2005-2006
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.
As a teenager,Coleman 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.
Coleman 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.
