For longtime Arlington resident Clete McAlister, service has never been defined by a single role. From military service and local government leadership to veteran advocacy and community involvement, McAlister has spent decades working to strengthen the city he has always called home.
“Arlington is a perfect example of the American Dream,” McAlister said. “It allows people like me to go to college. My dad was a barber. I was one of five. Arlington provided me opportunities.”
An Arlington High School graduate, United States Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) alumnus, McAlister’s commitment to service began early and continued throughout a distinguished career in public service. Following his military service, he held several leadership positions with Tarrant County, including director of planning, operations manager for the district courts and the County’s first criminal courts administrator, overseeing 20 misdemeanor and felony courts. He also helped establish the county’s 911 emergency network, a system that continues to serve residents today.
In Arlington, McAlister is perhaps best known for his dedication to honoring veterans. As president of the Arlington Veterans Park Foundation, he has played a leading role in developing Veterans Park into a destination for remembrance, education and community pride.
The Memorial to the Fallen monument at Veterans Park honors the 100 young men from Arlington who died in our country’s wars of the 20th and 21st centuries. Among those names are Colonel Neel E. Kearby, who received the Medal of Honor for his actions as an Army Air Force fighter pilot in the Pacific Theatre during World War II, and Preston F. McKee, an early Arlington mayor who died during World War I. Currently, there are three memorials at Veterans Park remembering the fallen of World War II and the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
McAlister’s efforts have strengthened partnerships between the City of Arlington and UTA while helping preserve the stories and sacrifices of service members.
“What I love about our memorial area is that it is not a single thought running through it but multiple thoughts,” McAlister stated. “Because the Vietnam War means different things to different people. It doesn’t mean the same thing that the Korean War veterans feel and I celebrate the differences there. It’s part of our brand in Arlington that we are a city with a lot of diversity.”
His commitment extends beyond Veterans Park. McAlister organized Arlington’s annual Field of Honor, which displays hundreds of American flags in remembrance of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and served as race director for the Arlington Heroes Run, benefiting police and fire veterans. In retirement, McAlister has remained deeply involved in civic life, serving on the City of Arlington’s Planning and Zoning Commission and Parks Board, the Arlington ISD Citizens Bond Oversight Committee, Theatre Arlington’s Board of Directors and the Rotary Club of Arlington.
In recognition of his many contributions, the paved trail loop at Veterans Park was officially named the Clete McAlister Trail in June 2026. The designation honors a lifetime of leadership, service and dedication to Arlington.
“There’s nothing that I have done in Veterans Park or anything else I’ve done where my wife wasn’t a partner in it,” he said. “I have to point out that a lot of people have worked in Veterans Park. I was not the first one, and I’ve had a lot of help along the way on those things. I love that they’ve named it for me. I do think I am simply a representative of all those other people, though.”