ART COPLESTON:

Why is there a website named Art Copleston?  As a prominent member of the Democratic Party and supporter of gay rights, Art Copleston has come under some duress resulting from false accusations made by Linda Stevens of Hemet, California. In June, 2004, Art was served with a lawsuit for allegedly assaulting this woman. No criminal charges were ever filed against Art. This can easily be verified by clicking here to search criminal records of anyone in Southern California. Additionally, the civil case was dropped because there was no evidence of wrongdoing. Furthermore, Stevens chose to sign a complete release of all claims against Mr. Copleston, thereby unilaterally ending her case. If you are wondering about the feverish accusations you may have read online against Art by the unfortunate Kurt Barrie, please click here for a factual account of the actual events of that evening, Ms. Stevens's various legal maneuvers,  and  the 100% exoneration of Mr. Copleston at each stage of the entire sorry episode.

As a member of the Democratic Party, and a supporter of free speech, Art has been forced to defend himself  publicly because the Internet makes it easy for anyone with a computer to write anything about anyone; regardless of whether it is true or not. You have heard some people say the Internet is the "bathroom wall of society". While some may disagree with this statement, as a whole, it is easy to understand its origins. Anyone who knows Art Copleston knows that he would never deliberately hurt anyone or anything. By nature, Art is a pacifist and is very non-confrontational. Prior to being sued by Linda Stevens, Art's only legal event in his 74 years of life was a single traffic ticket in 2002 for driving 45mph in a 35mph zone. 

Arthur (Art) Copleston was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1932, where his paternal grandfather, from Devon, England, settled in 1887 and founded a dry cleaning and dye works business that is still in operation.  Art Copleston's maternal grandparents were from Berlin; in 1905 his grandfather immigrated to America and established a pineapple plantation on Florida's southeast coast, in the area known as Sewell's Point.

An only child, Art attended schools in Tampa and Miami and entered the Air Force in 1950.  After service, Art obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Management from the University of Florida.  After corporate assignments in Boston and in Pennsylvania, Art moved to California in 1971 where he had assignments of increasing responsibility in areas of chemical processing and corporate procurement, leading to a brief 3-year period heading up the Procurement Department for a company providing logistical support for the Kwajalein Missile Test Range in the Marshall Islands in the central South Pacific.  Art retired in 1986.