William P. Coker

Bill Coker was a career chemist and lifelong learner who believed in service and never forgot a name. He was a 1942 graduate of Texas A&M University, a World War II veteran with wartime service in the Army Air Corps, and an ex-student of the University of Texas. He started his career as a chemist with the U.S. Bureau of Mines before joining Dow Chemical Company, where he retired 30 years later as the Texas division’s Discovery Research Director.

Bill believed in education, helping to set up several scholarships, including the Dorothy Coker Research Fellowship at Texas State University and the Richard F. Coker Endowed Scholarship at Collin College. He also believed in the Golden Rule and giving back to his community, serving as a Sunday school teacher, Kiwanis Club member, Meals on Wheels driver and Salvation Army bell ringer, a role he filled well into his late 80s in front of Walmart and Walgreens stores. His children—Charlotte Coker Whitten, Pamela Coker Speir, and James William Coker—established this endowment to honor his legacy following his passing in 2018.