Wednesday, December 12, 2001
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Wednesday, December 12, 2001 |
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Fayette man ready to carry Olympic flame By MONROE
ROARK
Holly Benson thinks that her husband, Rick, embodies the Olympic spirit. She can be excused for being biased, but apparently she's not alone, and next week Rick will get a moment on the world stage to prove it. A pilot instructor and a 28-year veteran of Delta Air Lines, Rick Benson is one of 100 Delta employees who have been selected to participate in the Olympic torch relay leading up to the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Holly, also a Delta employee, nominated him. Benson will take the torch Dec. 18 at approximately 7:21 a.m. in Covington, Ky., just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati and home to that city's international airport. He will likely be one of the very first to hoist the torch that day, since it is carried from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during most of the relay until it enters Utah in the final days before the Games. More than 1,000 Delta employees were nominated to be torch bearers. The relay began Dec. 4 when the torch arrived at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport. Benson was there when it was brought off the plane which he called a "very emotional moment" and captured it on videotape. The Bensons, who have lived in Fayetteville for more than a decade, have spent a couple of exciting weeks preparing for next week's event, having already made a trip to Salt Lake City and another to Kentucky as part of their preparations for the relay. Benson recently received a complete torch bearer package that includes an official warmup suit that will be his uniform as he carries the Olympic flame. "Rick never hesitates to share his knowledge and Delta spirit with others," Holly wrote in her nomination letter. "As a 777 instructor, he has hosted the Ashford Park Elementary School Discovery Program which included fifth- and sixth-grade students in an on-campus field trip. He also hosted a Georgia State University class on aviation at the request of Fred Elsberry. "He never runs out of patience or time, with any age group. He is not finished until the last question is asked and the last answer is understood." According to Delta's Web site, a cross-divisional team of employees was formed to review the nominations. All employee information for the nominee and the nominator were removed for the review process. Each "Moment of Greatness" was rated on the degree of impact it had on the customer, fellow employee or community. Selecting just 100 torchbearers was a tough job, according to spokespeople for the airline. Among other things, Benson was recognized for "providing help to those in need throughout the community." After being nominated, he was required to write a short essay about someone who has inspired him in his own life. He chose his father. "In keeping with the Olympic spirit, he instilled in me the patriotism and respect that I now have for this great country and all countries from around the world," Benson wrote. "He spent many days away from our home serving his country and protecting those freedoms and liberties we have and are fighting for, even today. Truly an inspiration in my life." A total of 210,000 people were nominated to be among the 11,500 torch bearers. Those who were chosen will follow a route that winds 13,500 miles through 46 states, the most ever covered by an Olympic torch relay in the United States. At least one local Delta employee will be among those participating in the first-ever Alaska leg of the relay, Benson said. Each torch bearer will carry the flame approximately .2 miles, or the equivalent of one lap around the Olympic track. Benson plans to jog a little and walk some as well, to take full advantage of the special moment. This is not the Bensons' first exposure to the Olympics. Both served as volunteers during the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. Rick was a chauffeur, and Holly helped with the positioning of automobiles for Olympic officials before the Games began.
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