LIHU‘E — He came, he saw, he painted. Thanks to William Coleman III, a beautiful American flag now adorns a chain-link fence on the Hardy Street side of the Wilcox Elementary School. Coleman, who lives in the Worcester, Mass., area,
LIHU‘E — He came, he saw, he painted.
Thanks to William Coleman III, a beautiful American flag now adorns a chain-link fence on the Hardy Street side of the Wilcox Elementary School.
Coleman, who lives in the Worcester, Mass., area, is the founder of the Great American Flag Project.
In all, it took him about 10 hours to complete his 20-foot-by-four-foot project, which required about 11 coats of paint.
The fence was completed shortly after noon Saturday, and in plenty of time for Independence Day, today, Monday, July 4.
Anikka Cadavona, 6, will be able to look out from her classroom, and see the fence when second grade begins soon.
“It’s pretty,” she said.
Youngster Ross Brun said the flag meant “pride and joy” to him.
Coleman had painted five flags previously, some as long as 75 feet, all in the greater Worcester area. He was on Kaua‘i to visit his son and, while here, in addition to meeting enough people that he could probably successfully run for elected office, he also decided he wanted to paint an American flag on a fence.
That wish became a reality Friday when Wilcox School Principal Rachel Watarai gave the OK. Coleman was featured on the front page of The Garden Island on Friday, July 1, as a painter who had previously been without an approved Kaua‘i canvas. That changed that day.
Coleman began painting Friday evening. Wal-Mart officials donated one gallon each of white and red paint, and a quart of blue paint. Wal-Mart leaders also supplied Coleman with the rollers and other equipment he needed.
“They were great,” he said.
Coleman said he was enjoying the cool Kaua‘i evening air Friday, when it began to rain.
“Any time I start a flag, it rains,” he said.
“Painting a flag, alone at night, is a humbling experience, something like a prayer. You think about the armed services, what happened on 911 (Sept. 11, 2001), and Pearl Harbor.”
Coleman, who finished the project around noon Saturday, dedicated the project to public workers, educators and armed service men and women home and abroad.
Coleman, who is a Teddy Bear with a paint roller, is an educator in Worcester. He teaches nutritional education for the University of Massachusetts-Amherst extension school, and also works with children in community venues.
He drew a lot of comments from passersby, and praise from motorists, as he stood in the hot sun Saturday.
Jean Bartolo said she “was so happy he (Coleman) had an opportunity to paint.”
Her son Robert, who will turn 7 next week, told Coleman there were 50 stars. Coleman showed several children how he would paint the stars, but would also adorn them with tiny turtles that are visible to those taking a sidelong view of the fence, to honor Kaua‘i.
“This is a great location. The fence really blazes at night when light hits it,” he said. “I hope it will be a real positive message.”
Coleman and crew will head back to Massachusetts tomorrow, Tuesday, July 5, and has some stories to tell back home. He’s made a lot of friends here, and said he’s “definitely coming back.”
