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nFROM PAGE 31OLYMPIC TORCH LEAVES AFTER CIVIC RECEPTIONwill have traveled by foot, yacht, snow shoes, skis*and ice skates.Johnson received the honorof carrying the torch on the last leg of the Gorman to Bakersfield relay because he won last season’s Kern County crosscountry title. Yesterday’s final four runners, chosen in order of their league meet finish, wore David Hayes, North High; Chick Fero, East High; Alvino Lujan, Arvin High, and Johnson.Mayor Frank Sullivan took the torch from Johnson and lighted a replica, which will burn night and day via natural gas in front of City Hall until the Winter Olympics are completed. 'During a brief ceremony in honor of the torch’s arrival, Sullivan stated, “I know that these young athletes will never forget this particular day. Burr Baldwin, chairman of the Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce athletic committee, and Walter Rowse, president of the C of C, also gave greetings.Others honored during the civic reception were Kern County’s Jr. Olympics track and field national achievement winners. Bill Rasmussen, president of the Kern Athletic Association, and Herman Riese, vice president for the Central California Section of the AAU, made the presentations.Rasmussen disclosed that Jr. Olympics winners were picked from 41 U.S. districts after results from 300 preliminary and88 final meets were compared nationwide. Central California led the nation with 19 first, second and third place winners, 13 of whom were from Kern County. Rasmussen stated, When we say we’re proud of our young boys and girls in Kern County, we really mean it.Relay co - chairmen Glen Beerline of Bakersfield High and Andy Darby of Wasco High said they had to slow the preps’ pace in order to hit the schedule as close as possible. Two additional groups lighted torch replicas en route. Arvin High runners took a torch from McKittrick Road and U.S. 99 at 2:30 p.m. Runners from Di-Giorgio Junior High ignited another torch at DiGiorgio and U.S. 99 at 3:05 p.m.Beerline said the flame remained intact all the way. Runners carried aluminum torches which burned kerosene. No slips or falls were reported, although Tom Blacklock of Taft High singed a little fuzz off his cheeks when he was blowing out one of the torches after an exchange.All runners will keep the special T-shirts with the Olympic emblem they wore for the occasion and will receive souvenir pins.
Newspaper Details
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield, California, US
Thu, Feb 04, 1960
Page 31
Full Page
Clipped by
Benjamin S.
WI, USA 04 Jun 2024
Other Publications Near Bakersfield, California
The Berkshire County Eagle
Southern Californian and Kern Weekly Courier
The Weekly Californian
Kern County Californian
Daily Californian
