Passing the Torch

Sundae Horn
Clinton Gaskill (1905-1999)
Clinton Gaskill (1905-1999)

Fun fact: The Olympic flame once burned on Ocracoke.

In 1987, Clinton Gaskill was the first Ocracoke resident to carry the Olympic torch on the island. He met the torch-bearers at the Swan Quarter ferry, held the flame aloft, and walked it a few yards before passing it to the next runner.

From Ocracoke, thence to Hatteras and across the great state of North Carolina the Olympic flame ignited interest in the 1987 Olympic Festival.

Olympic Festivals were created by the U.S. Olympic Committee and staged from 1978 through 1995, during off-years for the regular Olympic Games. The 1987 Olympic Festival in North Carolina involved 34 Olympic summer and winter sports. There were over 4,000 participants, 400,000 spectators, and 10,000 volunteers.

Among those volunteers were Karen Lovejoy and Dave Frum. Karen says they were up the beach and saw an ad on a McDonald’s placemat asking for volunteers for the Torch Crew. As big fans of the Olympic Games, Karen and Dave were excited to get involved. 

The torch started its North Carolina journey in Wilmington and traveled all across the state. Karen spent three weeks of her summer vacation as part of the Torch Crew, while Dave (who had to work) caught up with them on weekends. The crew’s destination was Raleigh, where the Festival games were hosted in the NC State stadium.

As the torch traveled the state, people could sign up to run with it for a $25 donation. One of the perks of volunteering for the Torch Crew was that the blaze was guaranteed to pass through your hometown, which, in Karen’s case, was Ocracoke.

That’s how the Olympic flame got into the capable hands of local fisherman, carver, and clam-chowder chef Clinton Gaskill.

Crossing to Hatteras with USCG
Crossing to Hatteras with USCG

Karen also remembers Ocracoke residents Craig and Betty-Sue Garrish, Tim Arn, David Senseney, Claire Senseney, and Izzy Woodside taking their turns running the torch up at the north end of the island. (If you carried the torch and aren’t on this list, please let us know in the comments.)

The torch and its crew left Ocracoke with the U.S. Coast Guard, on whose boat it made its way to Hatteras Island. The torch enjoyed a visit to the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, where they no doubt discussed their commonalities as actual and symbolic illuminations. 

Photos courtesy of Karen Lovejoy
Photos courtesy of Karen Lovejoy
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