37 chosen
to carry Olympic torch
By
Joseph Barrios
Arizona
Daily Star
On its
journey between Atlanta and Salt Lake City, the Olympic flame will make
its way through the Old Pueblo in the hands of 37 Tucson-area residents.
The names
of the 37 people who will carry the torch through Tucson on Jan. 13, 2002,
were released this week by the committee organizing the 2002 Winter Olympics
in February. The flame's journey will last 65 days and span 13,500 miles.
Each runner will carry the torch for less than a quarter of a mile. They
won't learn their route or their location until late December.
Torchbearers
were nominated by family members, friends or co-workers who wrote essays
describing how nominees "embodied the Olympic spirit and inspired an individual
or a community." The essays were gathered through the Olympic committee
and various corporate sponsors earlier this year.
Irene
Topor, 49, was nominated by her "significant other," Richard Young.
She's
an avid runner and professor in the University of Arizona's Education Department,
instructing teachers on how to work with children who are blind or have
vision problems.
In his
nomination letter, Young wrote that Topor deserved to carry the torch because
she is dedicated to helping children.
Topor
said carrying the torch is an honor because it represents people coming
together and being able to agree on something despite their differences.
Others
who will carry the torch when it comes though Tucson are: Janet Billington,
Bonnie Bourque, Mark Cage, Jana Christensen, Richard Cramer, Debi Davis,
Leonard Ditmanson, Bryan Duncan-Hagy, Jarrod Eliot, Noel Elliott, Edward
"Nippy" Feldhake III and Gregory Glick.
Also,
Bob Hall, Barbara Handelman, Hollis Houston, Michael Landwehr, Christina
Lilleland, Kathy Martinez, Paula Masten, Marcie McNeill, Stephen Metz and
Bobbie Oosterbaan.
Also,
Ara Parseghian, John Perry, Enrique Sanchez, Edward Schroeder, Walter Siegfried,
Leonard Suarez, Kristi Urias, Jim Valiton, Edward Wachter, Yetta C. Watson,
Sacheen Yates, Sharon Zamora. Barbara Handelman and Debi Davis will carry
their torch as a pair.
According
to the Olympic committee Web site, the torch is 33 inches long, 3 inches
wide at the top and a half-inch wide at the bottom. It's made of silver,
copper and glass. Nationwide, there will be 7,200 torchbearers.
Contact
Joseph Barrios at 573-4241 or jbarrios@azstarnet.com
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