Marionite will carry Olympic torch at Vail
Like the Eveready bunny, Glen Dody just keeps on running and running.
The Marionite who grew up on a farm east of town is the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Harry Dody.
Glen's next assignment in a long life of service to his country will be to carry the Olympic torch at ceremonies in Vail, Colorado.
A stand out player for the Marion Warriors, he played football for El Dorado Junior College in the prewar 1940s prior to enlisting in the Marine Corps.
After the war he earned a degree at Wichita State University and was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force where he became a personnel officer.
Following retirement, he moved to Colorado and more recently to Arizona. He visits Marion often.
It's a distinct honor to be selected to carry the Olympic torch. The event is sponsored by Coca Cola which supplies Glenn and other runners with special uniforms.
The Dody family is having "a big bash" as he terms it, to be held after the ceremonies at his sister, Viola's, home in Breckenridge.
He will go from his home in Mesa, Ariz., on Kansas Day and return to Arizona Feb. 9.
Glenn has been running a great deal in Arizona, getting ready for the Senior Olympics in mid-February.
He first started running in grade school. He said, "It was fun to go to picnics and run fast races." He still holds running records at Marion High School.
During Glenn's high school running days, the track was cinder which is much slower than modern surfaces.
He started participating in the Senior Olympics about 15 years ago. He said it's enjoyable. His wife is his coach, trainer, dietitian, and best fan.
He has run in four national competition events: Syracuse, St. Louis, San Antonio, and Wide World of Sports in Orlando.
He has won sixth and seventh, but his best year was 1999 when he won the 400 meter and took fifth in the 800 meter at the Disney complex in Orlando.
He is proud to be selected to carry the Olympic torch in 2002, but even more proud this his daughter-in-law and grandchildren nominated him.
