Thomas Freeman (debate coach)

Thomas Freeman (June 27, 1919 – June 6, 2020)[1] was an American lecturer in religion, a preacher, and a debate coach. His students included Martin Luther King Jr. at Morehouse College and U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan at Texas Southern University.[2][3]

According to his New York Times obituary on June 17, 2020, Freeman was associated with the Texas Southern University debate team that "rose to national prominence".[4] Freeman founded the team in 1949 and led it for more than 60 years.[5][6] He also served as a consultant for Denzel Washington on the film The Great Debaters, offering actors a training camp on how to debate.[7]

Biography

Early life and education

Freeman was born in Richmond, Virginia, one of fifteen children born to his father Louis Hyne Freeman, a vegetable peddler, and his mother Louise Elizabeth (Willis) Freeman, who managed the home.[4] As a child, he farmed vegetables for his father's produce store and became a boy preacher in his Baptist church, delivering his first sermon at the age of nine. At fifteen, he enrolled at Virginia Union University and graduated in 1939 with an English degree.[4]

In 1942, Freeman earned a Bachelor of Divinity from Andover Newton Seminary, where he enrolled only three years after the school began enrolling African American students. Six years later, in 1948, he earned his doctorate in Homiletics from the University of Chicago Divinity School.[4]

Academic appointments

Freeman taught as a visiting lecturer at Morehouse College in 1947, where a young Martin Luther King Jr. was among his undergraduate students.[4] In 1949, he arrived at the newly created Texas Southern University (TSU) to teach philosophy, remaining connected to the Houston institution for 71 years. He retired from teaching at TSU in 2013.[4]

In 1972, Freeman was also appointed as a lecturer in religion at Rice University, where he became the first African American faculty member in the school's School of Humanities and taught regularly until 1994.[8]

References

  1. ^ Lee, ArLuther. "Dr. Thomas Freeman, debate coach who taught MLK at Morehouse, dies". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  2. ^ Vine, Katy (April 2, 2014). "Tips From the Great Debater". Texas Monthly. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  3. ^ Britto, Brittany (June 11, 2020). "Texas Southern to host public visitation, memorial service for late debate coach Dr. Thomas Freeman". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Seelye, Katharine Q. (June 16, 2020). "Thomas Freeman, Debate Coach With Broad Influence, Dies at 100". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  5. ^ cmaadmin (October 5, 2011). "Philosophy Professor Still Teaching after More than 60 Years at Texas Southern". DiverseEducation.com. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  6. ^ "On Founders Day, TSU honors retiring debate coach". HoustonChronicle.com. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  7. ^ "Oscar Winner Denzel Washington". Fresh Air Archive: Interviews with Terry Gross. January 2, 2008. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  8. ^ "Former Rice religion professor, legendary TSU debate coach Thomas Freeman dies at 100". Rice News | News and Media Relations | Rice University. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.