David Bean
David Bean is a selfproclaimed country boy, having grown up just south of Forrest City past the fairgrounds and added he came from nowhere, wanting to be a part of something. Something besides farming,
"Don't get me wrong, farming can be a great life, but I wanted something else," Bean said. "There were times when I even drove a tractor to school. That way after school if there were chores to be done, I had the tractor with me."
His vision has been and continues to be for those who are the least, the lost and the left out.
"You never know when your glory days are coming," Bean said. "It's great to be a winner, but until you lose, you don't know how to win."
Bean attended Forrest City High School for two years, 1975 and 1976, his senior season.
He will be inducted into the Forrest City Athletic Hall of Fame tonight representing the Forrest City High School After 1970 Era.
Bean made the best of both years by running track with the Mustangs under Coach Eugene Rooks with Clifton Blanchett, a role model Bean relished. Even though he was always the alternate on the track team, it helped pave the way for Bean's venture and future prep career in track and even found time to play football for one season as a receiver under then Mustangs head coach Al Miller.
"My junior year I ran and ran and ran, but still felt like an outcast on the team," Bean added. "Suddenly there was this little old country guy, from nowhere and wants to be on what was already a strong Mustang track team. Clifton and Michael Gray kind of took me under their wings and nursed me along. Being an alternate meant I was already an underdog and I had to prove myself and when I was able to run, I always started from Lane 2, where all you see are butts and feet and elbows. I made up my mind I wanted to see past that, so I started passing the other runners and won the race."
It didn't take long for Bean to make his impact being named 1975 AAA-East All Conference and All-State, as well as being named the 1975 Meet of Champs performer.
"I think at the Meet of Champs I was on a mission and had something to prove," Bean added.
As the AAA-East AllConference and All State runner, Bean ran the 100 and 200-yard dash and the 400 and 800-yard relays.
He repeated that success as a senior, once again being named to the 1976 AAA-East All-Conference and All-State performer in the same events. As a senior, Bean broke the AAA-East State 200-dash record, posting a time of 21.4 and tied Carl Lowe in the 220-dash.
Following graduation from Forrest City, Bean was offered and accepted a track scholarship to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and ran track for four seasons being named NAIA All-Conference and All-American each of the four years at UAPB.
His all-time best times at UAPB came in the 100-yard dash (9.32); 200-yard dash (20.02), the 4x200 relay/200 split time (19.90), 4x440-yard relay team member, the 4x200- yard relay team member and the sprint medley team member.
Currently, Bean resides in Sherwood with his family and still maintains his past doesn't make me who I am, my decisions do.
And one of his most revealing life decisions is creating a credit protection club app and continuing his work as a trainer/teacher within the church.