'Gary's Mile' will conclude Special Olympics Torch Run

The Delaware's law enforcement community's annual Law Enforcement Torch Run is a three-day, 160-mile event involving 400 police officers and benefiting Special Olympics.

On Friday, June 8, the mile down Main Street in Newark will be designated as "Gary's Mile," in honor and memory of the late UD Public Safety employee, Maj. Gary Summerville, who died in a vehicle accident in 1999. Although the annual Torch Run for Special Olympics features law enforcement participants, Gary's Mile also may be run by members of the University community.

Individuals interested in running Gary's Mile should contact Jim Grimes or Yvonne Simpson in Public Safety at 831-1204 by May 21 to obtain a runner registration form. There is a registration fee of $25.

Runners for Gary's Mile will meet in the parking lot of the Newark Shopping Center by 3:45 p.m. on Friday, June 8, starting off at approximately 4 p.m. The mile will culminate at the city of Newark Municipal Administration Building on Elkton Road, where a special remembrance ceremony will be held at 4:15 p.m.

A special ribbon has been designated for all Gary's Mile runners to wear on their shirts that day, and a shuttle service will provide participants with transportation back to Newark Shopping Center after the ceremony.

Those who want to support the torch runners but not participate can purchase a Torch Run shirt for $15 and may attend the remembrance ceremony.

The Torch Run culminates with a final leg into the opening ceremonies of the Special Olympics Summer Games at the Bob Carpenter Center, beginning at 7:30 p.m. At that time, Delaware's 2001 torch runner, Sgt. John Fogelgren of the Wilmington Police Department, will hand the flame to the Special Olympics Athlete of the Year who will light the cauldron, proclaiming the 2001 Summer Games officially open.

The torch used in the final leg was purchased by the University of Delaware Fraternal Order of Police and is dedicated to all law enforcement members, past and present, who support the Torch Run and Special Olympics, and Maj. Summerville's name has been inscribed on the torch.