Dr. Thomas Freeman, debate coach who taught MLK at Morehouse, dies
Dr. Thomas F. Freeman, the world-renowned orator and debate coach who once taught Martin Luther King Jr. at Atlanta’s Morehouse College and whose academic career spanned seven decades, has died.
He passed away Saturday, only weeks shy of his 101st birthday.
According to ABC News, Freeman was still teaching at the debate team headquarters at Texas Southern University, where he worked since 1949.
Freeman gave one of his final public speeches just last year, when he was honored by the National Speech and Debate Association with its Lifetime Achievement Award. In a rousing speech at the ceremony, he urgently told young Americans “our destiny is now in your hands!”
A message to young people—
— Blake ✨ (@MrBlakeGreen) June 7, 2020
One of Dr. Thomas F. Freeman’s last speeches when he recieved the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Speech and Debate Association. pic.twitter.com/2QxUxOoYae
He taught thousands, and his debate teams won countless national and international championships through the years. King graduated from Morehouse in 1948.
Other notable names who studied under Freeman's tutelage include late Reps. Barbara Jordan and Mickey Leland, as well as Grammy Award-winning gospel singer Yolanda Adams, ABC reported.
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Texas Southern University icon Dr. Thomas F. Freeman. The esteemed debate coach, orator and teacher began his career at TSU in 1949. pic.twitter.com/8XMltESbeE
— Texas Southern University (@TexasSouthern) June 6, 2020
Freeman served as a consultant for the 2007 film “The Great Debaters” after Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington needed someone to coach up the actors in the film.
Several lawmakers posted tributes to the late centenarian on Twitter.
Today, we have lost a legend. A truly free man, who made every effort to liberate and mold the minds of the generations of leaders behind him. Dr. Thomas F. Freeman was not only a great debater but a great husband and father, a great minister, a great man, and a great friend.
— Congressman Al Green (@RepAlGreen) June 6, 2020
A man full of history and a legacy that has no comparison. Dr. Freeman, a scholar, renown tenured professor and generous mentort to the Honorable Barbara Jordan, and others benefited from his masterful coaching. Houston will not be the same without the eloquent oration...1/3 pic.twitter.com/B0CdnP9tX6
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) June 7, 2020
I extend my prayers and condolences to his family, former students, and the @TexasSouthern community. There will never be another Dr. Thomas F. Freeman. The remarkable centenarian was a legend in his own time, and the City of Houston will miss him. pic.twitter.com/wlJiocj9oU
— Sylvester Turner (@SylvesterTurner) June 7, 2020
Only days ago, Freeman and his wife, Clarice, gave an interview with Houston ABC affiliate KTRK on their secret to a 67-year marriage, the network reported.
The university has established a memorial fund in Freeman's name that will help to continue the Texas Southern's Debate Team program.
