Rekindled: Randal Roark and Michael Dobbins on Atlanta 1996

Keep the Flame Alive

Now that the Paris 2024 Host Organization is winding down its existence as a functioning entity, we start looking at the legacies the Games will (hopefully) leave behind. However, it can take years--or even decades--to realize the impact of these two months.

However, other cities can provide lessons in what's possible. We're rekindling our June 24, 2021 interview with Randal Roark and Michael Dobbins, who worked for the City of Atlanta during the planning and execution of Atlanta 1996. They, along with Leon Eplan, wrote the book Atlanta's Olympic Resurgence: How the 1996 Games Revived a Struggling City, which details the efforts of city workers to make Atlanta a world-class city and welcome guests from every country to its door.

Our interview shed a lot of light on the little projects a city can accomplish thanks to the deadline of the Olympics.

The book is an interesting read, and you can find it on our Bookshop.org site (affiliate link). Books purchased through that link support the show's operating budget.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

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

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Keep the Flame Alive: The Olympics and Paralympics Fan Podcast with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown. New episodes released every week and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. Also look for our monthly Games History Moment episodes in your feed.

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