by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

With a bronze-tinted aluminum body wrapped in leather, gold rings around the handle, and a top that bears the Olympic motto, “Citius Altius Fortius” (“Faster, Higher, Stronger”), the 1984 Olympic torch was something to behold as it made its journey across the United States that summer ahead of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Today, a replica of that unmistakable artifact is on display at Mount San Antonio Gardens social center, sitting among a Route 66 exhibit by resident David Hiple.

Gardens resident Ann Stromberg is the owner of the replica torch, as well as the white uniform she wore 40 years ago emblazoned with “1984 Olympic Torch Relay Participant.”

“When we “carried the torch” we actually passed the flame to the next runner,” Stromberg wrote in a text Wednesday evening. “Each runner got to keep his/her beautifully made torch.”

Mount San Antonio Gardens residents created an exhibit highlighting Route 66 that will be up through August 12. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

According to resident Lola Taylor, who is in charge of the display case, Stromberg’s one kilometer torch run was along a portion of Route 66 that crossed through Claremont on Monday, July 23, 1984.

After an 81-day trip across 33 states and the District of Columbia, and with the help of 3,636 torch bearers, the torch reached Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on July 28, 1984. Various runners carried it locally, including Stromberg. Bystanders in 1984 would have seen it at Arrow Highway and Walnut Avenue before it turned south at Garey Avenue in Pomona, east on Holt Avenue, north on Indian Hill Boulevard, then headed east on Foothill Boulevard in Claremont to Euclid Avenue in Upland. The torch eventually made its way to Corona, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Murrieta, and Rancho California, reaching Temecula by that evening.

Taylor said she is always excited when the Olympics come around.

“I think the disciple and the grit and the astounding talent that are shown at these games … it’s been magnificent,” Taylor said.

The Route 66 display came about following a road trip by Hiple last year.

“I moved here last November from Hawaii,” Hiple said. “I had sold my apartment, and the movers said they needed two months to get my furniture on a boat and get it here to me and I had nowhere to live. So, I thought ‘Well, I’ll just drive Route 66.’”

Hiple flew to Chicago in October, rented a car, and spent a month exploring Route 66 before arriving at the Gardens.

As he familiarized himself with the campus, he saw the display case and decided to create an exhibit from his cross-country trip. With the help of Taylor, it went up in May. The display includes photos of landmarks, postcards, a map, and other ephemera. Next to it are sticky notes with comments and stories from residents about their own memories of the historic route. The tales range from cross-country moves with loved ones and pets, to one about a bystander who helped a resident push a broken down Volkswagen “bug” off the highway.

Route 66 “is stuck in the minds of many people” Hiple said. “Everybody has memories of places they stopped at along the way. I mean it’s a legendary road.”

The Route 66 display is up through Monday, August 12, after which Hiple will prepare for an upcoming trip to France.

The Route 66 display is one of four currently on view at Mount San Antonio Gardens social center. The other are “Peaches,” featuring art by illustrator Alice Simpson, ceramic art by the late Crispin Gonzalez, and “World War II,” with contributions from resident veterans.

Call (909) 624-5061 for more information.