This studio portrait of Albert Leaverne Coffman of Topeka was taken in 1960 to be used in his primary campaign for Shawnee County Sheriff. Also shown is a small campaign card. Coffman (who was known as Al, Vern, or most often, by his nickname 'Pooch'), operated a service station on the southeast corner of California and 10th streets in Topeka. 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's political campaign for sheriff was unsuccessful; he finished second of three contenders in the Democratic primary. 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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