Philip Yates Coleman: July 10, 1931 - July 25, 2021
By Wendi Taylor, Treasurer, Pennsylvania Sierra Club PAC
He carries his canoe down the trail to the river. It is upside down and balanced with the center thwart on his shoulders. When he reaches the water, he wades in and with a practiced motion gracefully rolls the boat down to the surface. He feels the sand and the pebbles and little white shells under his feet in the cold water. He looks downriver. It calls for him. There is no gear to lash in today. No students to teach. No runners to coach. Someone else can help save the world. No. It is time to go. He climbs into the canoe and kneels. He turns the boat into the current and begins to paddle. He is no longer old. His arms are strong and tan. There is nothing now but him, and his mistress, the river. His time on this earth has come to an end. He rounds the bend and is gone. It saddens me to know I will not see him again.
A Eulogy Written to his father by Philip S. Coleman
It is not unusual for people to look at Phil Coleman’s death at the age of 90 years and think, “He lived a good, long life.” The problem is, he had a lot more living to do. Until an unfortunate fall on June 17, he was active, entertaining, and independent.
Many may remember him for leading outings in his southwest corner of the state or as the writer of The Sylvanian’s Coleman’s Lantern. Both revealed his love of the Pennsylvania wilderness – its mountains, rivers, streams, and hiking trails. He, along with his wife Wyona, fought tirelessly to protect the natural world, specifically Pennsylvania’s wilderness. They instilled these values in their children. His daughter Sydney worked alongside Phil and his co-editor Wendi Taylor as the Sylvanian’s designer; his son David held a few leadership roles at the Group and Chapter levels and in other non-profit conservation groups. His namesake Phil has lived and still lives conservation ethics in his vocation of whitewater rafting and outdoor recreation.
Phil had been a founding member of the Pennsylvania chapter, its chapter secretary, political chair, vice chair, chapter chair and more. Yet, he was most proud of creating the Sylvanian. He said his involvement in the Sylvanian made him, “witness to and participant in a multitude of issues.”
“My victory story is the Sylvanian: converting it from a few mimeographed pages to a tabloid that publicized multiple important issues, then helping in the conversion to the magazine style and later to an online newsletter.”
Thus, it is only proper to acknowledge his passing and pay tribute to the many ways he contributed to the Sierra Club in the publication he created and edited for many years.
Along with his service to the Sierra Club, he was the Dean of Liberal Arts and an English professor at California University of Pennsylvania from 1969-1998. He was in both the 1956 and 1960 Olympics as a Steeplechase runner and won the gold medal at the 1959 Pan American Games for the event.
In addition to writing for the Sylvanian, he wrote novels, short stories, and poetry. He enjoyed acting in his later years with his retirement community’s “Acting Up” group. Along with all his professional and volunteer activities, he was an amazing father.
This blog was included as part of the Fall 2021 Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!