Episode 201: Randal Roark and Michael Dobbins on Atlanta 1996's Legacy

Keep the Flame Alive

Today marks the 25th anniversary of Atlanta 1996, so we are talking about the legacy of those Games from the city planning perspective. We’re joined by Randal Roark and Michael Dobbins, who along with Leon Eplan wrote the new book Atlanta’s Olympic Resurgence: How the 1996 Games Revived a Struggling City. During the Games, Randal was the director of planning and design for the Corporation for Olympic Development in Atlanta for the design of public projects in preparation for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. Michael Dobbins was Atlanta’s commissioner of planning, development and neighborhood conservation from just before the Games and for the following 6 years. We talked about the planning that went into those Games, plans that didn’t work and the legacy of those Games.

You can get the book (and support the show) by buying it through our Bookshop.org storefront.

Randal and Michael are also speaking at the Atlanta History Center this week, and there’s a virtual option - check it out!

News from TKFLASTAN includes updates from:

• The dulcet tones of Jason Bryant
• Ice dancer Charlie White: Check out his talk with the Peninsula Skating Club
• Jordan Gray

We’re just a few days away from the start of Tokyo 2020! We’ve got:

• COVID-19 updates
• News from the Olympic Village, including Korea’s Rule 50 violation
• Another scandal surrounding the Opening Ceremonies
• Who’s getting the Olympic Laurel? Also, what is the Olympic Laurel?
• The Virtual Team Korea House
• News on the fan situation
• What Team USA is doing for athlete families

Our Tokyo fun!

• We have an ebook viewing guide that covers both the Olympics and Paralympics - get your copy on Amazon
• Play Opening Ceremonies bingo with us - get your bingo card through our Facebook Group, or email us for a card ([e-mail])
• Log onto Tokyo 2020’s Fan Zone, then join the Keep the Flame Alive Podcast Fantasy League - we tell you the access code in the episode.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

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Keep the Flame Alive: The Podcast for Fans of the Olympics and Paralympics with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown

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