SAVANNAH – J. Tom Coleman, a Savannah native, served as a senator for the state of Georgia for more than 14 years and will be honored guest Savannah Technical College’s annual Opportunity Gala.
The event will be held on the college’s Savannah campus on Dec. 7 and is sponsored by the Savannah Technical College Foundation, the volunteer organization responsible for fundraising to support the college.
Coleman was elected to the Georgia Legislature in 1981 and served until his retirement in 1995. During that time, he also participated as chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and as a member of the Appropriations Committee for 12 years; member of Continuation Committee for 10 years.
Prior to his service for the state of Georgia, Coleman was chairman of the Chatham County Commission and a member of Savannah City Council.
Currently, Coleman serves as Chairman of Board of Bonitz of Georgia, Inc., a specialty construction company in Savannah, which he has operated for 50 years.
As a graduate of Benedictine Military School and of Georgia Tech in Atlanta, he was team captain on football team at both BC and Georgia Tech and is a member of the Georgia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame.
After graduating from Georgia Tech, Coleman joined the staff of Rossville High School as a physics teacher and football coach.
He later left the faculty at Rossville to serve on active duty with the U.S. Army as an infantry captain during the Korean conflict and later served in the U.S. Army Reserves. His tour in Korea in 1952 was June to December.
Coleman returned to Savannah in September 2003 after serving almost four years as Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Before coming to the Department of Transportation, Coleman served as Vice Chairman on the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia from 1995 to May 2000, where he also chaired the Facilities and Real Estate Committee.
For sponsorship, ticket and table information, please contact the Savannah Technical College Foundation at (912) 443-3019.
