Sentimental Sunday - No. 5

Richard Mulligan - 1960 - on the left

The 1960 Winter Olympics were held in Squaw Valley, California in February. The Olympic flame was flown from Greece to Los Angeles, and from there it was run through California, on its way to Squaw Valley. Local High Schools along the relay route ran the torch up the I-5 corridor over the Ridge Route. One of those high school runners was Richard. All of the torch bearers were scheduled to run one mile segments. However, because the relay was behind schedule the decision was made to break up the runs into half mile segments. So, Richard ran two half mile legs through the San Joaquin Valley – between Bakersfield and Tulare. (Interesting side note, that year’s Olympic torch was designed by a Walt Disney artist. Again, Richard and Cindy’s paths crossed before we even knew each other.)

That night there was a banquet in Tulare to honor the relay runners. Awards were given to them by Keenan Wynn, actor, and Bob Mathias, two time Olympic Gold Medalist in the Decathlon. (Bob was from Tulare, California)

Richard remembers this event fondly and was honored that the administrators from Exeter High School chose him to run the torch. He was very involved in track at the time and was Student Body Vice-President.