U.S. Olympic Torchbearers Announced
For Immediate Release
May 6, 2004
U.S. Torchbearers Announced for ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Three of the U.S. cities participating in the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay have announced the individuals who have been selected to carry the Olympic flame in Los Angeles, Calif., St. Louis, Mo., and Atlanta, Ga.
New York City will announce its torchbearers in early June. The Olympic flame visits the United States, June 16-19, in the first-ever global Olympic torch relay.
Some of America’s greatest Olympians will carry the flame in the USA on its historic journey including Bonnie Blair (Delafield, Wis.), Gail Devers (Loganville, Ga.), Janet Evans (Irvine, Calif.), Rulon Gardner (Cascade, Colo.), Rafer Johnson
(Sherman Oaks, Calif.), Jackie Joyner Kersee (St. Louis, Mo.), Shannon Miller (Grafton, Mass.), Peter Vidmar (Coto de Caza, Calif.) and Bonny Warner (Byron, Calif.), among many other notable athletes.
Some of the torchbearers, such as these Olympians, are known all over the world. All the torchbearers are tied together by a common thread in that they exhibit characteristics that exemplify the Olympic ideals. They represent the best of
humanity in their city, country and world.
Longtime United States Olympic Committee employee David Layson Bullock is one of these individuals. Bullock was selected as a torchbearer in large part due to his tremendous commitment to America’s athletes. He has overseen the USOC’s
corporate fleet of vehicles and the U.S. Olympic Team’s ground transportation needs for nearly 26 years. Bullock is known by his co-workers as someone who goes the extra mile to make sure that the job is done at a world-class level. His
response when asked about his work ethic was, “We ask these athletes to go out each day and give their very best to become the very best. I can do no less than that myself.”
The list of announced U.S. torchbearers follows. Please note that the names of additional torchbearers will be released at a later date, or have been withheld at this time by request. Coca-Cola and Samsung, the presenting sponsors of the
ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay, conducted separate torchbearer selection programs in the four U.S. cities, which may include Olympians and others. Please contact Coca-Cola and Samsung directly for information on torchbearers selected in their
specific programs. Contact information for Coca-Cola and Samsung is also provided at the end of this press release.
With more than 3,600 runners from the international community and nearly 7,000 within Greece, there will be more than 10,000 torchbearers who carry the Olympic flame in the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay. Approximately 480 torchbearers are
expected to take part in the U.S. portion of this historic event.
Being selected as a torchbearer for the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay is a tremendous honor. The theme for the torch relay is “Pass the Flame, Unite the World.” The Athens Organizing Committee for the 2004 Olympic Games established criteria
that all torchbearers ‘represent the best of humanity’ and that selection programs include some form of public participation. Torchbearers selected reflect the values of the Olympic Games and are people who unite their communities through
sport, education or culture. They also inspire others through participation, celebration, human scale and heritage.
Along with the official nomination form, nominators were asked to submit an essay of 50-100 words explaining how the nominee meets the criteria of being an inspirational person who reflects the ‘best in humanity’. Local judging panels selected
the individuals who will have the honor of uniting the world by carrying the Olympic flame. ATHENS 2004 approved all torchbearers, who must be at least 14 years of age as of March 25, 2004.
The Olympic flame was lit on March 25, 2004 in a traditional ceremony in Ancient Olympia, Greece. Following the lighting, the flame made its way to the Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens, the site of the 1896 Olympic Games, the first of the modern
era. The flame will remain at the Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens until June 2 when it will begin its historic worldwide relay. The international portion of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay will begin on June 4 in Sydney, Australia. The
flame with travel from city to city by chartered aircraft. The routes within each city will be announced in several weeks.
Over the course of the relay, the Olympic flame will travel to all cities that have hosted the summer Olympic Games, as well as several other selected cities. The relay will take the flame to each continent that is represented by the five
Olympic rings, and will, for the first time, visit the continents of Africa and South America. Over 35 days the torch will visit 33 cities in 26 countries worldwide and then travel throughout Greece to the August 13 Opening Ceremony of the
2004 Olympic Games.
The Olympic flame will travel to the United States from Mexico City, Mexico, arriving in Los Angeles, site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games, on June 16. The flame will be in St. Louis, the host of the 1904 Olympic Games, on June 17 before
traveling to Atlanta, the site of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, on June 18. The U.S. portion of the International Torch Relay will wrap up in New York City, the home of the United Nations, on June 19 before departing for Montreal, Quebec,
Canada, host of the 1976 Olympic Games.
2004 Athens Olympic Torch Relay – U.S. Torchbearers
Name, Hometown
Alan Abrahamson, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
David Adams, Carrollton, Texas
Dallas Austin, Atlanta, Ga.
Eric Bailley, St. Louis, Mo.
Father John Bakas, Los Angeles, Calif.
Brett Banford, Salt Lake City, Utah
Deborah Barnosky, Berea, Ohio
Pepe Barreto, Los Angeles, Calif.
Benjamin Baum, Miami Beach, Fla.
June Becht, St. Louis, Mo.
Bonnie Blair, Delafield, Wis.
Angelia (Shawn) Boice, Bothell, Wash.
Father Gregory Boyle, Los Angeles, Calif.
Allen Brockman, Chesterfield, Mo.
Cynthia Brown, Lake St. Louis, Mo.
Daniel Bruck, Los Angeles, Calif.
David L. Bullock, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Steven Bunn, Belleville, Ill.
Brooke Cantwell, St. Charles, Mo.
Michael Carruth, Winston, Ga.
Harold Carter, McDonough, Ga.
Daniel Castro, Pasadena, Calif.
Gus Catsavis, St. Louis, Mo.
Brittney Chamberlain, Layton, Utah
Teri Clemens, Fenton, Mo.
Peter Clentzos, Pasadena, Calif.
Richard Cohen, Atlanta, Ga.
Robert Ctvrtlik, Newport Beach, Calif.
Verdery Cunningham, Atlanta, Ga.
Erich Dahl, St. Louis, Mo.
Bill Danforth, St. Louis, Mo.
Anita DeFrantz, Los Angeles, Calif.
Gail Devers, Loganville, Ga.
Erica Dickerhoof, Kennesaw, Ga.
Thomas Durham, Somonauk, Ill.
James Easton, Van Nuys, Calif.
Louis Eleopoulos, Martinez, Calif.
Janet Evans, Irvine, Calif.
Kate Evans, Atlanta, Ga.
Michael Evans, St. Louis, Mo.
Brian Farrey, Westborough, Mass.
Dana Fink, Atlanta, Ga.
Robert Follett, Keystone, Colo.
Robert Foster, St. Louis, Mo.
Porsche Foxx, Atlanta, Ga.
Herman Frazier, Honolulu, Hawaii
Julie Fredrick, Atlanta, Ga.
Alberto Friedmann, Highland, Ill.
Jennifer Friend, Lilburn, Ga.
Bruce Furniss, Villa Park, Calif.
Steve Furniss, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Manuel Galifianakis, Decatur, Ga.
Rulon Gardner, Cascade, Colo.
William Giers, Merritt Island, Fla.
Larry Goodman, Bel-Nor, Mo.
Robert Guzzo, Evansville, Ind.
Jim Hand, Largo, Fla.
Patrick Hassett, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Bettina Havard, McDonough, Ga.
Janice Herold, Fenton, Mo.
Dennis Higdon, Memphis, Tenn.
Patty Hillow, St. Louis, Mo.
Rebecca Hodson, West Lafayette, Ind.
Kit Hoover, Fairfield, Conn.
Richard Horning, Peachtree City, Ga.
Christopher Howard, La Crescenta, Calif.
Robin Howland, Huntington Beach, Calif.
William J. Hybl, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Mattie Jackson, Atlanta, Ga.
Valerie Jackson, Atlanta, Ga.
Kenya James, Atlanta, Ga.
Ginger Jamieson, Roanoke, Va.
Ruby Jewell, Atlanta, Ga.
Rafer Johnson, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Bobby Jordan, Reseda, Calif.
Michael Josephson, Playa del Rey, Calif.
Jackie Joyner Kersee, St. Louis, Mo.
Lillie Kelley, Kirkwood, Mo.
Martin King III, Atlanta, Ga.
Eleni Konstantinopoulos, Northridge, Calif.
Andreas Kyprianides, Los Angeles, Calif.
Michael Larrabee, Santa Maria, Calif.
Sammy Lee, Huntington Beach, Calif.
E. Desmond Lee, St. Louis, Mo.
Michael Lenard, Los Angeles, Calif.
Julie Lewis, North Royalton, Ohio
Linden Longino, Atlanta, Ga.
Curtis Lovejoy, Atlanta, Ga.
Mario Machado, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
William MacLachlan, Alpharetta, Ga.
Robert Marbut Jr., San Antonio, Texas
Pamela Marquez, Northridge, Calif.
Frank Marshall, Santa Monica, Calif.
Annie Maxwell, East Point, Ga.
Victor Mbaba, Stone Mountain, Ga.
Patricia McCormick, Seal Beach, Calif.
Kevin McDonald, Ocala, Fla.
Nancy McIlvain, Longmont, Colo.
Shannon Miller, Grafton, Mass.
Robert Mortimer, Wildwood, Mo.
Matthew Moseley, Locust Grove, Ga.
Rev. Earl Nance Jr., St. Louis, Mo.
Everard Nelson, Lawrenceville, Ga.
Debi Nicholls, Trabuco Canyon, Calif.
Michael O'Hara, Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Tommy Owens, Atlanta , Ga.
Billy Payne, Atlanta, Ga.
Warren Peck, Bethlehem, Ga.
Ward Pierson, Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Velma Ploessel, Downey, Calif.
Michael Polsky, Chicago, Ill.
Zoe Primeau, Imperial, Mo.
Alex Ramos, Simi Valley, Calif.
James Reed, Greensboro, N.C.
Jill Richards, Alpharetta, Ga.
Dwayne Sanders, Peachtree City, Ga.
Jill Savery, Walnut Creek, Calif.
Harvey Schiller, New York, N.Y.
Maria Schmitz, St. Louis, Mo.
Alan Schroeder, Tucson, Ariz.
Bobbie Beth Scoggins, Frankfort, Ky.
Ann Shields, St. Louis, Mo.
Michael Siebe, Maplewood, Mo.
Judy Sophianopolous, Atlanta, Ga.
Georgia Sotiropoulos, West Hollywood, Calif.
Helen Stay, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Gregory Sun, Moscow, Idaho
Anastasia Terranova, San Mateo, Calif.
Lauren Tischer, Gladstone, Mo.
Craig Towerman, Chesterfield, Mo.
Christos Tsonis, Marietta, Ga.
William (Steve) Venable, Los Angeles, Calif.
Peter Vidmar, Coto de Caza, Calif.
Page Walden, Atlanta, Ga.
John Walsh, St. Peters, Mo.
Bonny Warner, Byron, Calif.
George Warren, Bismarck, N.D.
Samantha Wilson, Clayton, Mo.
Constantine Zografopoulos, Chicago, Ill.
For specific host city information please contact:
Los Angeles, Calif.
Office of the Mayor
Attn: Naomi K. Rodriguez, Assistant Deputy Mayor
200 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 978-2360
Fax: (213) 978-0719
E-mail: NRODRIGU@mayor.lacity.org
St. Louis, Mo.
St. Louis Sports Commission
One Metropolitan Square – Suite 1100
St. Louis, MO 63102
Phone: (314) 992-0687
Fax: (314) 421-5727
Website: www.stlouissports.org
Media Contact: Doug Bray, Communications Manager (phone: 314-206-7388) or e-mail dbray@stlsports.org)
Atlanta, Ga.
Dianne Harnell Cohen
Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs
Phone: (404) 817-6764
E-mail: dharnellcohen@atlantaga.gov
New York, N.Y.
New York City Mayor’s Office
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
Customer Service Helpline (local): 311
Fax: (212) 788-2975
Website: www.nyc.gov
Media Contact: Jenn Falk (phone: 212-788-2969 or e-mail: jfalk@cityhall.nyc.gov)
For more information on the Coca-Cola and Samsung torchbearers and escort runners, please contact:
Coca-Cola: Susan McDermott (phone: 404-676-4120 or e-mail: smcdermott@na.ko.com)
Samsung: Tara O’Donnell (phone: 201-229-4090 or e-mail: T.O’Donnell@samsung.com)
For more information, please contact the USOC’s Media and Public Relations Division at (719) 866-4529. This press release is also available on the USOC’s media specific website at www.usocpressbox.org.
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