Pearl Cordon William Coon was born May 25, 1890, in New Auburn, Minnesota to Delano and Anna (Fuller) Coon. He graduated June 3, 1909, from Mankato State Normal School with a 5-year advanced diploma. While a student at the Normal School he was the Business Manager of the Mankatonian and played football, basketball, and baseball. After graduation, Coon taught Manual Training at high schools in Waseca and Hutchinson for two years. He then attended the University of Wisconsin - Madison and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1914.

He returned to Mankato State Normal School and taught Manual Arts, Mechanical Drawing and Industrial Arts and coached basketball. He resigned on December 1, 1917, to take a commission as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War I. He was later promoted to Captain before being discharged.

He married Stella Miller on September 10, 1919, in Buffalo, North Dakota and had three children: Robert, Kenneth and Harvey. They lived in Billings, Montana, Belgrade, Montana and later Cass County, North Dakota. He died in Fargo, North Dakota on December 5, 1986.

Coon dropped the “Pearl” from his name when he attended the University of Wisconsin and thenceforth went by Cordon William Coon.