Individual Details

Death

Dr. Coleman Furr, founder of Coleman University, passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones on May 18, 2015 at 10:40 am at the Vie care facility in La Jolla. Dr. Furr will be remembered as the individual who had the vision, the strength, the inspiration, the commitment to higher learning, and the desire to change the lives of so many individuals for the better. For an institution to have thrived over fifty years is a true testament to a great leader that he was. To date, thousands of individuals have walked the academic path at Coleman University, and countless have become successful citizens globally. Dr. Coleman Furr devoted himself to strengthening the stature of information processing as a bona fide profession. As a visionary, he saw the growth of the computer industry from its beginnings to the current day’s sophisticated level of technology. He held a Doctor of Education from USIU (Alliant) and was involved in many aspects of the computer industry for over six decades. In 1946 Dr. Furr served in the U.S. Army in China for two years during World II as a Motorcycle Military Policeman guiding convoys on a mountainous segment of the Burma Road. After his return from service, Dr. Furr trained at IBM in unit record equipment operation, he then became Manager of Data Processing with The Furr Company, a family-owned grocery business in Nebraska. He later joined S&W Fine Foods in San Francisco where he left as the Director of Operations. He then consulted with the Government of Puerto Rico, where he was responsible for improving food distribution systems through the use of computers and to aid in attracting U.S. businesses to that country. While in Puerto Rico, Dr. Furr found that he could not find the qualified data processing personnel he needed to run the complex automated operations. He saw one obvious solution to the dilemma: educate the staff himself. Thus the early inspiration for Coleman College was conceived. When he returned to the U.S., Dr. Furr was hired as Controller at FedMart, which was the forerunner of Costco. In that capacity, he oversaw the installation of their first computer system. Once more, Dr. Furr found that hiring competent people to operate computers was very difficult. “People with experience, usually had bad experience”, Dr. Furr always said. People who had attended computer schools hadn’t learned sufficient and applicable skills to be employable. As a result, Dr. Furr was determined to open a computer school. In 1963, Coleman College was born, and with its birth, the Coleman motto "Dreams into Reality" was fulfilled. As founder and Chairman of the Board of Coleman College, a private nonprofit accredited senior college, Dr. Furr established the premier information science undergraduate program in the country. In 1974, Coleman College was named by ComputerWorld Magazine as the "Best Data Processing School" in the country. Through the years Dr. Furr has given freely of his wisdom and experience by serving in various posts, including Commissioner for the Accrediting Commission of AICS (1973 to 1978), Chairman of the AICS Accrediting Commission (1977), and Director of Certification (1970 to 1984) for the Institute for Certification of Computer Professionals (ICCP). Dr. Furr's involvement in so many vital aspects of his career field provides affirmation of his personal commitment to excellence in education, especially in the field of information science. He was named AICS Educator of the Year 1972 and was named an ICCP Fellow in 1988. He was the third inductee following R. Adm. Grace Hopper and his good friend Paul Pair. One of Dr. Furr’s famous quotes was, “Our finest accomplishment is happy graduates, a lot of them!” Funeral service is Friday, May 22, at 9:00am, El Camino Memorial Park, 5600 Carroll Canyon Rd, San Diego, CA 92121.