Dr. Roy Douglas “Doug” Coleman, a two-term member of the White Hall School Board and former family physician in the city, has died.
According to school board President Dr. Raymond Jones, Coleman was 56. An online death notice did not list Coleman’s date of birth but listed his year of birth as 1966.
“It was a shock,” Jones said, adding that Coleman has had health problems within the past year. A cause of death has not been confirmed.
Coleman was first elected in 2014 and represented Zone 2 of the White Hall School District. He was named Arkansas School Boards Association Outstanding Board Member in 2017 and Master Board Member in 2020.
“I always knew him to be very smart and very organized,” Jones said. “All of that changed when he had covid. He was very interested in the school district and got involved in serving and all that, but since January, he hadn’t been the same.”
Gary Williams, who became White Hall School District superintendent on July 1, said he had some interactions with Coleman, even though Coleman couldn’t make it to some meetings because of his health issues.
“He had been very thoughtful, supportive, and he was full of joy for the little bit of time I got to know him,” Williams said. “I’m sad for he and his family. It’s just unfortunate. I’m praying for his family and praying for the grieving process.”
Coleman had surrendered his medical license to the Arkansas State Medical Board on Aug. 4 in lieu of continuing with a disciplinary process ordered against him on April 7. According to his license record, the medical license had expired on Tuesday. He was first licensed on Aug. 23, 1993.
The board had placed an immediate suspension on Coleman’s license on Feb. 3 because of issues raised by Dr. Bradley Diner, medical director of the Arkansas Medical Foundation. Two members of the medical board opposed the decision.
Coleman’s license record did not specify reasons for the suspension, but Jones again noted Coleman’s medical issues, saying that Coleman had caught covid-19 on two occasions and suffered nerve damage after the second time.
Two months after the Feb. 3 suspension of Coleman’s medical license, the medical board unanimously agreed to a “Consent Order with additional requirements” that Coleman attend a “boundaries continuing medical education course to be completed within one year,” pay $87.20 to cover the cost of an investigation, and appear before the board for an update in six months. Coleman did not appear before the board when he surrendered his license.
Coleman was arrested in September 2021 on a charge of third-degree battery involving his wife at his White Hall residence. Coleman pleaded innocent, and the case was dismissed, though the couple later filed for divorce.
Jones also blamed Coleman’s legal problems on the health issues.
Lucas Harder, policy director of the Arkansas School Boards Association, said the remaining members of a school board have 60 days from the time of a board member’s death to nominate and select a successor under state law. For reasons other than death, a board has 30 days to nominate.
“An individual can be interviewed during open session, and then the board can go into executive session to discuss the candidates,” Harder said.
The successor will serve out the remainder of Coleman’s term, which expires in 2024, but the successor has to reside within Coleman’s zone.
This story has been updated. It was originally published at 12:17 p.m.