James S. Coleman (12 May 1926-25 March 1995)

(Originally published in the New York Times Magazine, 31 Dec 1995.) A brief biographical note on the liberal mathematical sociologist, James S. Coleman. This sketch touches on the findings of Coleman's extensive research done in compliance with the Civil Rights Act, which required that educational facilties in the South be investigated to measure inequalities & judge how they contributed to educational outcomes worse than in schools in other parts of the country. The research led to the "politically incorrect" conclusion that family, not inadequate facilities, was the root of the problem. C. Ray