Coleman, Lester E. and Kathleen A. Chair
Dr. Lester E. Coleman graduated from The University of Akron in 1952 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He proceeded to obtain a master’s degree and Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois. Dr. Coleman joined Lubrizol Corporation in 1955 as a research chemist and eventually ascended to Chairman and CEO. He held more than 30 U.S. patents and 85 foreign patents and authored 50 magazine articles and magazine publications. Mrs. Coleman has served as a trustee for Hiram College and has been very involved in the Cleveland community.
The Lester E. and Kathleen A. Coleman Chair was created in 2002 by The Lester E. and Kathleen A. Coleman Foundation and a matching contribution from The GAR Foundation. The endowment provides the University with annual financial support for the recruitment and retention of a senior scientist of recognized stature and national reputation in the field of chemistry, with preference given to those concentrating their work in the synthesis or spectroscopic characterization of macromolecular materials. The endowment will fortify interdisciplinary research within the University and will promote interactions between regional and national colleges and universities, government agencies, and other organizations involved in chemistry and polymer science.