Jimmy Coleman and I graduated high school from Carlsbad, New Mexico in 1960.
Jimmy's ambition in the 1960 Carlsbad Yearbook may have looked like blue-sky dreaming, but note: he made two out of two. Picture links to an academic biography entry for his alter ego, J. Paul Emerson.
Jimmy gets a mention in Sarah Vowel's book about listening to radio (page 8).
While I was off at college, and its afterlife, Jimmy metamorphosed into J. Paul Emerson, a radio legend.
It was the end of the 1950s and the dawn of whatever came next, still a debate, or fistfight, depending on venue. Jimmy's Radioland persona became the masked mauler of top 40 radio, controversy his cornerman. Here's a glance back at my always-upbeat classmate.
Jimmy's parents were active in the Baptist church, his dad worked at U. S. Potash Corportation. They later ran a repair shop for bicycles, and sometimes lawn mowers. His mom worked with the Red Cross, and was active in local civic groups. He had a brother, now deceased, who, after a stint in the Army, became a licensed practical nurse.
A few years before Jimmy died, his dad went into a nursing home in Arkansas, and Jimmy went home to Carlsbad to care for his mother.
I know these things only because I looked them up. I didn't know him well, but we were in Junior High band together. He liked the stage, in fact was always on stage, and sometimes appeared as a singer with school groups. Periodically, he suggested I play trumpet with him in a "combo," as little bands were called in those days. I'm sure he approached others with the idea. Since my brief musical stint left no residue of trumpet virtuosity, I always declined.
I last saw Jimmy on graduation night. Our class sponsors had assigned us partners, and we'd practiced our march into the ceremony. "Pace and deportment," we were told. On the grand night the Multipurpose Room disappeared into the fog of war. Deportment vanished and pace hastened. We arrived on the football field in the order of our ejection out the back door. I was slotted to march with someone else, but Jimmy and I found ourselves deserted at the end of the line. We escorted each other to the metal folding chairs beneath the home stands, and in front of a portable dais of dignitaries. A raucous organ was playing through the tinny PA. Jimmy said it sounded like Bill Haley and the Comets. It’s my last clear memory of him.
This picture of Jimmy in high school links to some radio commentary by Claude Hall.
This picture links to some Univeristy of Pennsylvania scholarship on FM radio. J. Paul Emerson is mentioned (do a search for his name).
Jimmy becomes J. Paul Emerson
Jimmy (J Paul Emerson) was a newsman at WQHT in NY. Picture links to some thoughts by colleague Claude Hall.
Jimmy worked around town. A couple of times I saw his name on a local hotel marquee announcing his trio. I believe he was called J. Cole in those instances. I lost track of him. Now, I find he made his mark. I can't improve on the story, as related by those who knew him later. I'll just link to their words. At left is a commentary by author, Claude Hall. Claude was inspired by his memory of Jimmy to write a book about the invention of Top 40 radio, titled, "I love Radio." There's a link in the left column above the news clippings. Jimmy, known to Claude by his stage name of J. Paul Emerson, is the main character. Claude mentions Jimmy several times on his Vox Jox site, linked nearby. John Tierney of the New York Times weighed in a couple of decades ago. You'll also find a little blurb about Jimmy at "Where Are They Now?" There's even a Wikipedia entry, and an entry in the Wikipedia Academic biographies.
J Paul Emerson in Fresno, 1978. Picture links to a mention on social media as recently as 2006.
Several websites have sprung up about radio stations of various genres. The nearby picture of J. Paul Emerson comes from a tribute site (now behind a firewall) to WQHT in New York, where he was apparently the newsman. He's listed as an alumnus of Denver's KIMN. He's mentioned in a book about personalities from Eddy County, New Mexico.
J Paul Emerson in Tampa, 1984. Picture links to a blurb about a book Jimmy wrote, "The Secrets of Radio" (scroll to page 11).
Johnny Williams on his web site "440 International" (http://www.440int.com/) gives us this summary of Jimmy’s, aka J. Paul Emerson’s, career in radio. Johnny doesn't mention the Carlsbad station where Jimmy apparently worked when he was out of work.
Jimmy's old colleagues have authored and championed his Wikipedia entry.
One of his colleagues, Charlie Hughes, Carlsbad High School class of 1963, had these reflections about Jimmy: "I remember Jimmy very well. We worked at KCCC together in the early 70's when I was a rookie and he was an old pro. He came up with the popular program "let's trade even" and when the local news was too boring, he had no qualms about spicing it up off the top of his head...he was a trip to work with.
"He worked the major markets all over the country and when he would get enough of the pressure he would return to Carlsbad and work a few hours at a local station and work on a novel and I think he had the talent and imagination to be a good writer. When Rush Limbaugh caught on out in Sacramento with his conservative talk show in the late 80's and brought AM radio back from near extinction it brought a hoard of talk shows all over the country.
"CBS was doing a piece on the phenomenon and focused on some new shows and lo and behold there was Jimmy out in San Francisco doing a far right political show that he told me later got him run out of town with death threats. So he came back to Carlsbad and was doing his show by means of telephone line out at the Bull Ring. I kind of doubt very many stations were carrying the show...it was as far right as the bicycle path on the Autobahn. Anyway, he was a good friend and I hated to hear of his passing....he was only 58, but he crammed a lot into his short life."
Jimmy (on the right) on a billboard outside Tampa. It links to a "Where Are They Now?" site.
Jimmy was fired in San Francisco for comments about race, gender, and immigration that more than one commentator found racist, homophobic, and misogynous . Author Henry Giroux included thoughts on Jimmy in his book "Fugitive Cultures: Race Violence and Youth."
Jimmy's book is hard to find, but at least one reviewer liked it. Sadly, we can't recover the web page from the Internet Archive.
Where did he get the name J. Paul Emerson? We don't know, but it's not entirely unique. There was a J. Paul Emerson (1916-2000) in the 1939 graduating class at Clemson A&M in Clemson, South Carolina. He became a Lt Col in the Army and Professional Estimator. No known connection to Jimmy Coleman.
While we've digressed, we should note, there were two Jimmy Coleman's in Carlsbad High School at the same time, relationship unknown. Jimmy Jr. was a year behind our Jimmy, and, among other things, was interested in drama and participated in the annual Billy the Kid pageant in Lincoln New Mexico.
Jimmy's obituary.
I was in Carlsbad in 2014 for the memorial of an old family friend, Jim Rucker. My sister and I walked through the local cemetery, which I believe is where I picked up a scary looking spider bite, and came across Jimmy's grave. I knew him as a good natured young man, for whom life was a fun adventure, not too serious, but seriousish. He was always on stage, looking for the lines that would get him noticed. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I'd practiced that trumpet a little more.
Jimmy's grave marker in Carlsbad, NM. It links to the Find A Grave entry..................
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