Support Arthur’s Quest for the Special Olympics Today

UPDATE

Arthur is the 2019 Maryland State Champion!

ARTHUR’S QUEST: TO BE THE BEST HE CAN BE IN GOLF, TO PLAY IN THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS, AND TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT HE IS MORE THAN A MAN WITH AUTISM.

Arthur’s first shot carried about 200 yards to the left of the fairway on a par-5 dog-leg left.   A copse of trees at the turn was between Arthur’s ball and the green.  Arthur looked at the trees.  He could see the green on the other side.  The hole was in the front of the green that day and the flagstick was tantalizingly close.  His father told Arthur not to try to clear the trees, that the safe play would be to use his pitching wedge to lay the ball up in the middle of the fairway past the turn.  From there it would be just a nine iron to the green.  Arthur shook his head and grabbed his five iron.  His next shot cleared the trees and landed but a few yards from the green.  On his next shot, he looked at the flagstick, then at his ball, and at the flag again.  In a short gentle motion he chipped on to the edge of the green.  The ball carried another ten feet into the hole.  Eagle.  Arthur turned to his father and said, “that’s how you play golf.”  It would be his longest and clearest sentence of the day.  

“On the golf course, Arthur is not a guy with autism, but just another guy setting up a birdie putt.” 

Arthur Lonegan is a 21 year-old man with autism.  Though he loves to talk, he has trouble communicating.  His sentences are garbled and for people who don’t know him, his sentences are hard to follow.  He has difficulty understanding other people unless their sentences are short and simple.  He cannot answer abstract questions that begin with “why?”  Eager to please, he’ll often agree with whatever anyone says.  Arthur is also hypersensitive to smell and taste.  As a result, he has a very limited diet and weighs only 98 lbs.  His favorite meal is Cheerios with ketchup (Heinz only).  He has an amazing memory.  He knows all the NASCAR race results for the past decade – more probably.  But he has no idea how to make change. 

Many people love Arthur and care deeply for him.  But he has never had a close friend to confide in or just hang out with.  But that does not seem to bother him.

In 2018, when he was twenty, Arthur graduated from high school in New Jersey (see more here).  Shortly thereafter, he moved to Maryland with his parents.  Arthur enjoyed high school.  He loved his classmates and they loved him.  He was proud that he graduated, but did not understand that graduation meant that he would not be going back to school in September – that he would not see his classmates again because they all went to college – that he needed to get on with his life.  With nothing to do, Arthur has spent most of the last ten months sitting at home watching YouTube videos of other kids playing videogames.  All that is about to change.

For all his challenges, Arthur plays a great game of golf.  On a golf course he’s thoughtful and competitive.  On golf courses, Arthur makes friends.  On a golf course, Arthur is not a man with autism, but just another golfer.  And a damn good one. To prove it, Arthur will be entering the Maryland Special Olympics this year, with the goal of ultimately competing in the U.S, National Special Olympics in 2022 in Orlando and the International Special Olympics in 2023.  This page, and Arthur’s social media channels, will chronicle that quest.

(1) Arthur with his current golf coach, Dustin Stearns (2) Arthur with his mom and dad, Bryan and Mary Lonegan (3) Arthur with his former golf coach Walt Baker (4) Arthur testing out a different set of driving skills