[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 2] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 1792-1793] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]HONORING THE LIFE OF MR. DONALD COLEMAN ______ 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. [[Page 1793]] 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?'' ____________________