Hargrove Van de Graaff

Coleman Hargrove "Hog" Van de Graaff (born September 17, 1893 in Tuscaloosa; died January 2, 1938 in Gulfport, Mississippi) was a World War I veteran and assistant coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team.

Van de Graaff was the second son of Judge Adrian Van de Graaff Sr and his wife, the former Minnie Cherokee Hargrove. He graduated from Tuscaloosa High School in 1910 and enrolled at the University of Alabama, where he lettered in football, baseball, and track. After graduating he served in the military on the Mexican border and then in France, where he was awarded two Croix de Guerre and a Distinguished Service Cross.

After returning hime, Van de Graaff looked after his family's extensive land holdings, including a working farm at Gee's Bend. He spent some time as an assistant football coach at the University. He also lobbied actively for development of an airfield in Tuscaloosa and succeeded in securing federal funds for the project.

Van de Graaff never married and died during treatment for a nervous disorder at the Gulfport Veterans Administration Medical Center in Mississippi. When Tuscaloosa's airfield opened in 1940 it was dedicated as Van de Graaff Field in his honor.

References

• “Coleman Hargrove Van de Graaff, 1893-1938” Tuscaloosa Area Virtual Museum - accessed April 1, 2023