One man's kindness will be felt for years to come in Fresno

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One man's kindness will be felt for years to come in Fresno
By Matt James / The Fresno Bee
01/21/08 23:55:17


A few years ago, Fred Arnold sent his relatives in Tennessee personal checks.

He says he wanted to give them a little surprise. They need the money more than he does. He lives in Hollywood. He doesn't get back to see them much.

It was 13 different relatives, more specifically. And each check was for $25,000.

The man is 86 years old, tossing around money like he was "Pacman" Jones in Vegas, and having a blast doing it.

Without a doubt, he was the star of Monday's Run for the Dream at the Save Mart Center. Sure, there were former Olympians. Reese Hoffa was there, one of the world's best in the shot put, throwing nearly 70 feet.

Amy Acuff tried for the American record in the high jump -- way too early in the season to be trying to jump that high -- just because she wanted there to be a record on Arnold's new track. She felt like she owed him that.

Fresno owes him a lot more.

Arnold sat along the track, beaming, wearing the same orange suit jacket he wore when he was the head pole vault official at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. The track officials hugged him. The athletes thanked him. They held a dedication for him where a famous artist drew a giant portrait of his late wife, Madeleine. Their names are on the surface permanently: "FRED AND MADELEINE ARNOLD MEMORIAL TRACK."

His only real connection to Fresno is his friendship with Fresno State track coach Bob Fraley, and that the construction company Arnold founded used to buy supplies here. "Fresno's always been a good place to invest your money," he said. "Or give your money, whatever you want to call it."

He has given millions the past few years. To the L.A. Museum of Art. To the YMCA. In his will, he has left even more.

He and his wife were both pole vault officials. They met when he asked her to dance, and they danced for 55 years. She had cancer five times, and when she finally couldn't beat ovarian cancer in 2005, it left "a huge void in my life," he says.

There is a Madeleine Arnold Memorial Award given every year. It's more of an honor than anything, a $25 plaque. Arnold handed them $1,000 and told them to keep giving it out forever.

"She was a heck of a lady," said track official DeLewis Johnson, also from L.A. "How could a guy be so lucky to find a woman like that?"

He gave a million dollars for Fresno's own indoor track, the one that brought back Monday's Run for the Dream, and it's nearly as beautiful as Madeleine. What a shame only a few thousand people were there to see it.

Arnold's money will have to keep the meet going, because the attendance sure didn't.

It takes men like Arnold to keep events like this going. In the U.S., there are just so many athletes and so few events.

Chris Berrian is faster than a light switch and carved from stone, but he might as well be trying to rob Fort Knox with a water gun.

There isn't much harder than being a 200-meter runner in the United States. Berrian has run a 20.13 and he works at Famous Dave's. Before that, he unloaded UPS cargo at the Fresno airport.

Berrian closed out the pro portion of the meet, the USA vs. The World, shooting around the brand-new track there as the anchor leg of the 4x400 relay. Daryl Terrell, Derrick Brew, Mike Mitchell and Berrian coasted around as if it were warm-ups, finishing in 3:21.53, almost 5 seconds ahead of the World team.

And the weird part is, you've never heard of any of them. If you know Chris, it's only because his brother Bernard catches touchdowns for the Chicago Bears.

Chris is just trying to make it in the wrong sport. There aren't enough people in the U.S. who care about track, and just too many sprinters.

Once a year, though, a generous man from L.A. is keeping indoor track alive in Fresno.