William H. Coker II was born in Iola, Allen County, Kansas on August 23, 1914, the third son of William H. and Nellie Smith Coker. He attended Liberty Memorial High School in Lawrence, KS and graduated as valedictorian of his class from the Kansas Vocational School in Topeka, Kansas in 1934. Thereafter he attended the University of Kansas and pledged Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

Coker and his wife relocated to Denver, Colorado, in 1936 in order for Coker to work for the Union Pacific Railroad. They remained in Denver, and Coker went on to become a community leader. He held a variety of positions in the Denver Public School system, serving on several advisory committees and as president of the Parent Teachers Association. He was appointed to the Neighborhood Health Board by Denver mayor Wellington E. Webb and served on the Mayor's Capitol Improvement Committee for 14 years under four different mayors. He was elected to the War on Poverty Board and served on the Denver Opportunity Board when the Head Start Program and Neighborhood Health Centers were being established in Denver. Additionally, Coker served on the Selective Service Local Board #2 during the Vietnam War and was treasurer of the Eddie Hanna Memorial Scholarship Fund for Colorado State University, among numerous other positions he held.

Coker was also active in the Boy Scouts throughout his life and won the Silver Beaver Award from the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He remained active in the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity throughout his life as well and was instrumental in obtaining funding for Kappa Tower, a 45-unit senior citizens housing project. He and co-founder Leonard G. Chadwick, Sr. were recognized for their contributions to the project through the naming of the Chadwick Coker Conference Center at the Kappa Tower. Coker and his wife were also active members of the Shorter A.M.E. Church from shortly after their arrival in Denver.

Coker won numerous awards and recognition for his community involvement, including a humanitarian award from the Colorado Anciano Association, the Charles Wesley Morgan III Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, and a Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. humanitarian award in 2004.

William H. Coker II married Winifred Sue Stone on January 1, 1936. They had five children: Winifred Sue Johnson, Patricia Ann O'Donnell, Billie Jean McCalla, William H. Coker III, and Paul T. Coker. Coker died on July 23, 2012.

[Information retrieved from collection materials.]