From Staff and Wire Reports
Article dated May 5, 1996

In its honor, the neon lights of Vegas will flicker. The Pony Express will ride again. Graceland will throw open its doors.

For 84 days and 15,000 miles, the Olympic torch - a bit of historic flame with its own entourage and motel room - will tour America like no visiting dignitary has ever done before.

Through towns as small and welcoming as Otter Creek, Fla., and Fruit Heights, Utah, past the Liberty Bell, the Washington Monument and the roar of Niagara Falls, the flame will wind its way to Atlanta and the July 19 opening ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Games.

It will surely be the longest and most highly promoted relay race in the nation's history.

The first official guardian of the torch was Rafer Johnson, who won a gold medal in the decathlon at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. He bounded up the steps at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in April to accept the torch.

The flame arrived in Los Angeles from Greece by special plane. The flame was kindled on March 30 by the rays of the sun in Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games in Western Greece.

It was passed next to Gina Tillman, granddaughter of Jesse Owens, the black runner who challenged Adolf Hitler's theories about racial superiority by winning four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

``This flame has the ability for healing,'' said Bruce Jenner, the decathlon champion in 1976 who was another of the first torchbearers.

``We have been through so much in this city for the last few years. Maybe everybody can kind of forget about what happened in the past and look to the future.''

Torchbearers will include country music superstar Garth Brooks and NBA center Shaquille O'Neal and a cast of thousands of regular folks.

Before it's journey is over, 10,000 chosen torchbearers - including police officers, high school students, elderly widows and a sprinkling of celebrities - will take turns shepherding the flame through 42 states, and, officials hope, stirring enthusiasm for the Games.

The torchbearers have been hailed by Billy Payne, president of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, as ``a composite of great Americans.''

The ``community heroes,'' as they are called, were chosen in a nationwide search. Although the list includes a smattering of celebrities, it is dominated by ordinary people who have made contributions to their communities.

Among the people chosen to carry the torch is Myles Harris, a 13-year-old from Fort Washington, Md., who collects food for volunteer organizations that help the poor. Aspiring to swim in the 2000 Olympics, he gets up at 4 a.m. several days a week to practice, and has managed to maintain excellent grades at school.

``It's pretty tough,'' the eighth-grader said of his busy schedule. ``I manage.''

The torch in Georgia

In Georgia, the flame will arrive at Savannah on July 9 on a tall ship accompanied by a Coast Guard cutter. The flame will be carried to Savannah's Forsyth Park for a big party.

On July 11, the relay will stop in Hahira in south Georgia for a Southern barbecue before heading for an afternoon celebration at Valdosta's Olympic Park.

In Plains, the relay will pause July 12 outside the home of Jimmy Carter, himself a torchbearer. The former president will speak at a Main Street celebration in his hometown.

The list ends with a party in Jonesboro, south of Atlanta on July 17.

Two former Olympians with Augusta ties will serve as torchbearers.

Ray Mercer, a 1988 gold medalist boxer at Seoul, South Korea, and a former Academy of Richmond County student, and Maj. Michael Burley, a 1976 modern pentathlon athlete at Montreal who moved to Martinez last August, will be part of the area contingent that carries the torch July 14.

Other Olympians picked as torch carriers include gymnast Shannon Miller, skater Nancy Kerrigan, hurdler Edwin Moses and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard.

Richard Straut, an Atlanta police officer, said his selection as a torch carrier was a miracle. Seven years ago, Officer Straut was given little chance to survive after being shot in the head when a theft suspect he was trying to arrest grabbed his gun.

Officer Straut battled his way back to walk again, get a college degree and eventually rejoin the police force.

``I want to set an example. If I can do it, anybody can,'' said Officer Straut, 30. ``I've still got a pronounced limp, but I'm going to run the full length - I'm going to do it.''

Each torch bearer will carry the flame up to one kilometer before igniting the next carrier's torch. Organizers haven't set the order in which the carriers will run.}Last fall, ACOG and the United Way began a search for people who have distinguished themselves by their community work. Candidates could nominate themselves or be nominated by others.

Flame fashion

The torchbearers will wear white T-shirts with a 10-color design featuring a pictogram of the exchange of the Olympic flame.

The right side of their shirts will carry the 10-color design, which incorporates the Olympic rings and a silhouette of a runner carrying a torch. The look will also be displayed by support vehicles and escort workers.

Also included in the design is the Centennial Games ``Quilt of Leaves'' theme, symbolizing the many communities the torch will pass through on its way to Atlanta for the July 19 opening ceremonies.

The runners' shorts feature an Atlanta Games logo circled by the words, ``The 1996 Olympic Torch Relay.''

Escort runners will wear silver-gray shirts with the same design as the runners' T-shirts. They will carry the Champion label of Olympic sponsor Sara Lee, which will provide all the uniforms, and the emblem of torch relay sponsor Coca-Cola.

Silver-gray cars and motorcycles by BMW, featuring the same design, will provide road support for the relay.