Wellington Represents Schnader at a Tribute to William T. Coleman, Jr.

Chairman Ralph Wellington represented Schnader at a day of tribute honoring William T. Coleman, Jr. The event was held on February 23, 2009 in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. A Philadelphia native, Mr. Coleman served as a member of Thurgood Marshall’s legal team at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and proved instrumental in the effort to desegregate schools that culminated in the Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1954. He later became the president of the NAACP and served under four presidential administrations, most notably as Secretary of Transportation under President Ford. In 1995, President Clinton awarded Mr. Coleman with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

The tribute began when Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey made remarks to the U.S. Senate honoring Mr. Coleman. Following the Senate tribute, Senator Casey convened a symposium called “The Living Legacy of William Coleman,” which was followed by a reception in the Capitol Visitors’ Center. There were more than 100 guests at the event, including U.S. Supreme Court Justices David Souter, Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito, and Stephen Breyer, as well as several other judges, public officials, and friends. Judge Timothy Lewis, a personal friend of Mr. Coleman’s, was also invited but was unable to attend.