[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 18 (Tuesday, February 14, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E153]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE LIFE OF MR. DONALD COLEMAN

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                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 14, 2006

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Donald 
Coleman, reporter for the California newspaper, The Fresno Bee.
  Donald Coleman was a gentleman, a fine reporter and truly a person 
with a passion for life. For those of us who had the good fortune to 
know him or work with him there is now a very empty space. Personally, 
I will miss the times that Don and I shared together in the Tower 
District where he would humorously point out the flaws and shortcomings 
we all experience in life.
  As we reflect upon a life well lived, we should rededicate ourselves 
to caring and helping those less fortunate than ourselves. And in that 
sense, Don was a good role model for all of us. Donald Coleman cared 
deeply about his family, his friends and the people who live in our 
Valley. His passion for people was an inspiration for all of us to try 
harder the next day. I know after seeing Don I always tried harder the 
next day. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, ``The only way to have a 
friend is to be one.'' I want to thank you, Donald Coleman, for having 
been a friend to those of us, who had the good fortune to know you.
  The following is a wonderful description of the life and times of 
Donald Coleman that appeared in the Fresno Bee:

       Donald Coleman, the face of The Fresno Bee for many in far-
     flung rural communities and a fixture in Fresno's Tower 
     District, died of an apparent heart attack Tuesday morning. 
     He was 57.
       ``We are deeply saddened by the sudden death of reporter 
     Donald Coleman. His good cheer and graciousness were well 
     known throughout many departments here, and he had scores of 
     friends in the community as well. We will not only miss Don 
     as a journalist, but also as a friend,'' said Charlie Waters, 
     executive editor of The Fresno Bee.
       Funeral arrangements are pending.
       Mr. Coleman's Mercedes rolled into flowerpots in front of 
     the downtown Starbucks on Kern Street at 11:37 a.m. Police 
     said they found him unconscious in the front seat.
       His job was covering the rural communities surrounding the 
     city of Fresno.
       ``He had a lot of concern with what was happening in these 
     small, poorer farming communities. His heart was out here, 
     and he personally was out here. He would visit. He would 
     write our stories,'' said Joseph Amador, a former Mendota 
     mayor. Colleagues recalled his extraordinary compassion, 
     which he sometimes masked with impish cantankerousness.
       Every December, Mr. Coleman unfurled his ``Bah Humbug'' 
     sign, a banner passed on to him years ago by a cigar-
     chomping, old-time reporter. But every August, he threw a 
     Christmas party, complete with a tree. The price of admission 
     was a donation for the food banks in a season when people 
     often forget to donate.
       He showed up to tutor first-graders at Kirk Elementary 
     School even if it was his day off. Tuesday mornings were his 
     regular visiting day.
       Mr. Coleman came to journalism later in life, one of the 
     older students to graduate with a journalism degree from 
     California State University, Fresno, in 1988, the year he 
     started working at The Bee. Earlier in life, he was a college 
     football player, a seminary student, a banker, a law student 
     and an airline employee.
       He was at times The Bee's only black news reporter.
       ``We discussed racial issues many times, and I learned a 
     great deal from him. In many ways, I think he was a 
     pioneer,'' said Jim Tucker, host of ``Valley Press'' and one 
     of Mr. Coleman's journalism professors.
       Outside of work, Mr. Coleman was the consummate man about 
     town, friend to everyone, especially in the Tower District.
       ``He was the unofficial secretary of state. He knew 
     everyone, and everyone knew him: hairstylists, lawyers, 
     bartenders, professors, artists, poseurs and idiots. Don was 
     wonderful to everyone. The word that comes to mind is sweet. 
     He was the most decent guy. I don't know why he put up with 
     all of us,'' said longtime friend Andrew Simmons.
       He was passionate about travel and family--he carried a 
     picture of his grandmother in his wallet. He bought lottery 
     tickets, planning his Jamaican escape. Bee colleagues on 
     Tuesday recalled his running shtick when the jackpots were 
     high.
       ``It's my last day,'' he'd say. ``Do you want to say 
     goodbye?''

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