BUTLER TWP — Imagine a rainbow in black and white.

Nobody wants to. Because of Special Olympics, Tim Spence doesn't have to.

“That's how he describes it,” said his mother, Mary Spence. “He says Special Olympics puts the color in his life.”

Spence, 39, of Butler Township has more than returned the favor. After 31 years of competition, hundreds of medals and a decade of serving as a Global Messenger for the organization, Spence was recently inducted into the Pennsylvania Special Olympics Hall of Fame during a banquet at the Hyatt Regency in Philadelphia.

Spence was one of four athletes inducted during the May 18 ceremony. He became the second Butler County resident — joining Joey Osche (1997) — among the Hall's 67 inductees.

Longtime Butler County Special Olympics coach and volunteer Pat Byerly was inducted in 2002.

At age 8, Spence brought a flyer home from school detailing a Special Olympics track and field competition. He's been involved ever since.

He's tried numerous sports over the years — track and field, powerlifting, swimming, skiing, equestrian, tennis, soccer, bocce, bowling and floor hockey — and won gold medals in just about all of them.

Spence competes in seven or eight Special Olympic events annually — but it's not about the medals.

He has no idea how many he's won and “gets on me to put them in the attic once they clutter his room,” his mother said.

“It's about meeting new friends and seeing old friends,” he said. “It's fun. I do my best and encourage others to do their best.”

Born with Down syndrome, Spence needed encouragement to learn to speak as a small child. He entered S.O.'s global messenger program 10 years ago and has been a guest speaker at numerous Special Olympic events, along with doing interviews on television and radio.

“I help write his speeches, but he likes to speak from the heart ... and has no problem doing it,” Mrs. Spence said.

Still an active athlete, Spence has swimming practice twice a week, tennis and bowling practice once a week.

And he never misses.

“I look forward to going,” he said. “It gets me out of the house.”

Ski coach Kristi Tomayko said Spence missed a holiday dinner with relatives to practice with his fellow skiers in preparation for the winter games.

“Our skiers have to come to the majority of our practices to compete, but Tim never misses a practice,” Tomayko said. “I told him it was OK for him to miss this one.

“He showed up anyway. That's just who he is. To this day, I have yet to meet someone as honest, innocent, caring, moral, humble, hard-working and optimistic as Tim is.”

During the advanced stage portion of the Special Olympics ski competition last winter, Spence missed one of the flags and wound up falling off a hill.

“I feared for his safety,” Tomayko admitted. “He wound up way down by the access road, but he was OK. Even though he was eliminated from the official competition, the committee allowed him the opportunity to do the downhill again, just to do it.

“Tim wanted to do it. He got up, dusted himself off, went to the top of the hill and completed the downhill. There were tears in my eyes when he finished ... That's Tim Spence.”

No medal? No matter.

“I try the different sports because I want to see what I can accomplish,” he said. “Keep moving forward.”

When Spence was inducted into the Hall of Fame, he said Special Olympics should be the one being honored “because they're the ones who gave me the opportunity to do what I like to do.”

His mother, a fifth-grade teacher at Oakland Elementary School, agrees with that synopsis.

“Tim is a fantastic person with a lot of capabilities,” she said. “Special Olympics provides the arena to develop them.

“It gives him a sense of pride and accomplishment.”

A goalie in soccer for many years, Spence said he was known as “Tim the Wall who stops the ball.”

In her letter of recommendation to the Hall of Fame, BCSO bocce coach Mary Ann Lindsey related a story about Spence at a recent competition.

“Tim and his partner were really beating the opposing team,” Lindsey wrote. “Tim had a ‘funny' look on his face, so I asked him what was wrong.

“He said he was sad because the opposing team had no points and he didn't want them to feel bad. ... He is a very compassionate person.”

Spence has received an autographed football from legendary Penn State coach Joe Paterno, a signed jersey from Steelers linebacker James Farrior, even a pair of Troy Polamalu's football practice shoes, which the Steelers safety autographed.

Spence has worked the lunch-time shift at Wendy's restaurant in Butler for 16 years. He is a member of the Chapter Book Club, which meets each Wednesday to discuss books they've read.

“I've helped out the younger kids at Sunday School,” he said. “People have helped me. ... I help people.”

When a new athlete joins Butler County Special Olympics, Tim Spence is the first to reach out and make that person feel welcome.

“Words can't describe how proud I am of him,” his mother said.

Even with his Hall of Fame induction, Spence isn't done yet.

“I'll be competing until the day I die. There's no quitting, no giving up,” he said.

Here are some facts about Tim Spence of Butler Township, 2011 Special Olympics Pennsylvania Hall of Fame inductee:• Now 39, Spence has been a Butler County Special Olympics athlete for 31 years• Became a Global Messenger for Special Olympics 10 year ago• Has competed in track and field, swimming, bowling, downhill skiing, equestrian, bocce and tennis, winning gold medals in each• Named Butler County Special Olympics Athlete of the Year in 2006• Earned gold medals in downhill skiing expert class• Has won hundreds of medals at Special Olympic events, but has never kept count• Nominated to represent Pennsylvania as a Sargent Shriver Global Ambassador for World Games and attended the Athlete Leadership Conference in San Francisco• Belongs to the Chapter Book Club, a five-person group of Special Olympians who meet once a week• Does volunteer work at Christ Community United Methodist Church in Butler Township• Hosted a Disability Awareness Resource Fair before a Pittsburgh Pirates game• Employed by Wendy's restaurant for 16 years.