A morning coffee event hosted by the Ripon Historical Society and the Ripon Chamber of Commerce was held Wednesday, paying tribute to Ripon's part in the history of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games in Squaw Valley.
The centerpiece was the replica cauldron used during the waypoint relay torch run through town.
Thanks to the efforts of longtime resident Michael White, the six-decade-old torch holder with the tripod and five-ring Olympic insignia was renovated back to its glory days. The City of Ripon's Department of Public Works did the restoration and relocation, moving it from the area near the Ripon Community Center to the Clarence Smit Museum along downtown Main Street.
That's where the actual events took place in February 1960 amid driving rains with half the town in attendance.
Local dignitaries took part in ceremony involving torch-wielding runners, who made their way to Ripon along old Highway 99.
White, who is a 1962 graduate of Ripon High, and Bob Nepote were both teenagers back then.
Nepote was selected to run a leg on the torch relay to Squaw Valley based on his accomplishments as a distance runner on the RHS track team.
At the time, he held the school record in the mile.
His leg of the torch run was outside of the town of Thornton, just north of Stockton.
In order to get to that point, he along with fellow Ripon track product Joe Grasso and other area runners were bused over.
With it came a challenge: a $10 bill posted on the ceiling of the bus, up for grabs to the runner who could hold up the 7 1/2-pound torch holder, using just one arm – held straight up and above – from one point of the drive to the next.
"That $10 bill (in 1960) was like a $100 today," Nepote said.
Needless to say, the ten-spot went unclaimed that day, he recalled.
At Tuesday’s Ripon City Council meeting, Vice Mayor Leo Zuber acknowledged White, who began the move to relocate the replica Olympic torch holder – back to its original place – along with the donation of the dedication plaque nearly two years ago.
“It took Michael White to push me and others to get things done,” he said. “We have things around here that are of historical significance.
“There are people in town who were here in 1960 – that Olympic moment was a big deal.”
He praised White for his “energy and commitment” as well as Director of Public Works James Pease and his staff for their work on this project.
