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Friday, November 14, 2003

Duke City Native Was Presidential Aide to Clinton

By Paul Logan
Journal Staff Writer
    Justin Coleman, who was born in Albuquerque, went on to serve in the White House and became a confidant of President Clinton.
    Coleman worked about six years as an aide to with Clinton. Sometimes, he played card games with the president. He also was the sole assistant with Clinton's chief counsel during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
    Later, Coleman continued to help the former president on trips and with Sen. Hillary Clinton on her book tours.
    Coleman was riding in the passenger seat of a car when it collided with another vehicle in Byron Bay, Australia. He died 23 days later, on Oct. 17. He was 27.
    Clinton, in sending condolences, said: "Justin Coleman was one of the finest young people I've ever known ... His devotion to public service was heartfelt, and I will always be grateful for the time he spent with me in the White House ...
    "Justin was a joy to be around and he made a larger-than-life impact on all he touched. Hillary and I will miss him very much...
    A service for Coleman was held on Oct. 26 in Chilmark Church on Martha's Vineyard, Mass. The Clintons were among the 250 guests. Both spoke at the service.
    Justin Lord Coleman was born on Feb. 12, 1976. His parents, William and Julie Coleman, came to Albuquerque in 1973 so his father could begin pre-medical studies at the University of New Mexico. A daughter, Chandra, also was born here in 1974.
    After Dr. William Coleman graduated from medical school in 1979, the family moved to Chapel Hill, N.C., for his internship and residency at Duke University. The family still has a condominium in Taos.
    Justin Coleman applied for a White House internship in 1997 while attending Brown University. After he graduated, he returned to work for Clinton and had an office in the West Wing.
    His duties included helping to set up trips and traveling with the president; assisting with editing and compiling newspaper clippings, memos and letters for the president to read; and handling the Rose Garden bill-signing ceremonies as well as making sure there were enough pens for dignitaries, his father said.
    Coleman, an athletic 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, loved to climb mountains. He also enjoyed playing cards for hours with Clinton, including games of "Hearts" and "Oh, Hell!"
    "Often he would deliver the president's schedule to his private quarters late at night," William Coleman said.
    During the impeachment proceedings, Coleman was the sole assistant to the president's special counsel, Gregory Craig. Special prosecutor Kenneth Starr subpoenaed Coleman to appear before the grand jury, his father said.
    Coleman told his family he was disappointed in the president's behavior with Lewinsky. Still, Coleman believed in the president's overall objectives, including advancing everybody, not just certain segments of society, his family said.
    "He was very professional, very disciplined, very loyal," his father said. "He loved President Clinton very much."
    Coleman was an organ donor. A headline in the Sydney, Australia, newspaper said: "Death of President's Aide Saves 4 Aussie Lives."
    Besides using his two kidneys, heart and liver to help keep four people alive, Coleman also donated his corneas, all the bones in his lower body and his two Achilles tendons. In all, he improved the lives of about 36 people, his father said.
    "They told us that the four people receiving (the major) organs were doing well with the possibility of speaking with them later on," he said.
    "That was my son's spirit— to be generous and giving beyond measure."
    Memorial donations may be made to the Justin Lord Coleman Foundation, P.O. Box 55158, Boston, MA 02205.