10 Feb 2025 Kindness on parade

Photo and story by Stefanie Brazile

The sound of marching bands echoed down Pennsylvania Avenue, and the crowd smiled and waved back at Al Coleman and every other Arkansan who walked the 1 ½-mile route back in 1993. William Jefferson Clinton was about to be sworn in, and Coleman and about 500 fellow Arkansans had been invited to participate in the inaugural parade.

As a former Special Olympics athlete from Conway, the recent inauguration reminded him of that sunny, yet cold day when he proudly walked the parade route and met Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Dolly Parton, actors and dignitaries.

Three decades ago, Coleman was active in the Arkansas Special Olympics and was asked by the state’s program director, the late Bobby Doyle of Cabot, to represent Arkansas in the parade. “He said, ‘I want to pick the best man to do this. Al, you’re going to be representing Conway and Hope, Ark.,’” Coleman said. “When I got done, it was like walking on the Apollo 11 moonwalk! When I finished, I thought, ‘Wow, I really did that.’” 

Coleman’s parents died when he was a baby. He lived in Camden (Ouachita County) and was transferred to the Arkansas Children’s Colony (now the Conway Human Development Center) at age 11. “I got extra help with reading and writing and learned how to live independently,” he said.

A natural athlete, he started competing at 9 in basketball, volleyball, track and field, cycling and swimming. “I could slam dunk a basketball, and I still do a lot of bicycle riding for exercise.”

The Arkansas Special Olympics officials saw something special in Coleman. Besides his athleticism, he was able to motivate others. They asked him to be an ambassador for the program, and he spoke in Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma to thousands of people about his experiences. “I felt proud and I had goals in my life to make something out of myself.”

He worked for the city of Conway for 40 years and for the University of Central Arkansas. “When I got through doing my housekeeping job, I would sit in the stands and cheer for the basketball, football and baseball players. I would yell, ‘Go, Bears! Go, Bears!’ That’s when I [realized] when you root people on, that’s when they feel like they can make something out of themselves.”

Now in his 60s, Coleman likes to volunteer and continues to work. You will often find him at Shorty’s BBQ, Bob’s Grill and Bates Furniture. “I started working with the Bates family when Harold Bates, their dad, was still alive. Terry, Roger and Cindy Bates have taught me a lot about how to put furniture together, and I sometimes help deliver furniture. I think a whole lot of the Bates family.”

He has advice for how to treat people: “What a lot of people need is love,” he said. “When you see someone in a wheelchair or on a walker, stop and tell them you love them and say a little prayer for them.”

From supporting a president to cheering at the UCA sidelines and being part of his community, Al Coleman lives by the Special Olympics oath he holds close to his heart: “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”