This studio portrait of Albert Leaverne Coffman of Topeka dates to the late 1920s or early 1930s. Coffman (who was known as Al, Vern, or most frequently, by his nickname 'Pooch'), operated a service station on the southeast corner of California and 10th streets in Topeka from the mid-1930s until his death in 1963. He was perhaps best known in the community as manager of the Topeka Decker Oilers semi-pro baseball team in the late 1940s and 1950s. During that period, the Decker Oiler team was a perennial contender for the state semi-pro title, competing each year in the state tournament in Wichita. The team won the state championship in 1948, placed second in three consecutive years (1950-1952), and finished third in 1955 and 1957. Coffman also mounted an unsuccessful primary campaign for Shawnee County Sheriff in 1960. Digital reproduction of the photograph was accomplished through a joint project sponsored by the Kansas Historical Society and the Shawnee County Baseball Hall of Fame.
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