Childhood

Justin Lord Coleman was born in Albuquerque, NM on February 12, 1976. At the age of 3 his family moved to Durham, NC for three years, and then to Boston, MA where his father pursued his pediatric training. Justin's immediate family consisted of his mother Julie and his sister Chandra (17 months older than he).

At age 9, Justin's family moved to Chapel Hill, NC which remained as 'home" until his untimely death. Justin died on October 17, 2003 at the age of 27 from head injuries sustained in a car accident (he was a passenger) in Byron Bay, Australia.

High School & College

Justin attended both public and private high schools. He graduated from Choate-Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, CT in 1994. He went on to attend Brown University in Providence, RI from where he graduated in 1998 with a degree in Political Science.

The Athlete... 'A Team Player'

All throughout his life Justin was an incredible athlete... he played everything so well. From ice hockey and basketball to lacrosse and mountain climbing, he was strong, disciplined, fast, had an amazing amount of endurance and most of all a true team player. His athletic abilities earned him affectionate nick names like "Justin in time" as well as acceptance into universities like Yale and Brown.

Life After College

Justin was very interested in politics and majored in Political Science and served as a White House intern in 1997. He then served as an Oval Office intern that fall and after graduating from Brown returned to the White House where he worked for the duration of the Clinton administration as a member of: the President's advance team, the counsel's office and the Staff Secretary's office. It was said that Justin had more authority in the White House than anyone his age. He had a tremendous work capacity, was very conscientious, effective, and productive. he also had a very warm, positive and supportive approach to his work and his colleagues. He was called the 'soul of the West Wing.' President Clinton stated his eulogy on Martha's Vineyard that 'even if Justin had lived to 127 years, he could not have been loved more.'

The Seven Summits

Justin wanted to climb all seven summits and although he didn't quite reach that goal, he did do a remarkable job getting close.

Nepal: several peaks April - May 2001
Mt. Hood in Oregon: June 2001
Mt. Elbrus in Russia: Auguest 2001
Mt. Ranier in Washington: June 2003

His Personality

To all those who knew him, this doesn't need a lot of description. Justin was immensely kind and generous, sensitive and good natured. He loved to do things for people that made them feel better. He was a listener as well as talker, a reader, a thinker, and as his mom once called him, "a peaceful warrior".