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TWO STUDENTS AT IUPUI HELP CARRY OLYMPIC TORCH

INDIANAPOLIS - Running the two-block stretch of road lasted only minutes, but the memory will last William "Rusty" Neal a lifetime.

Neal, a third-year dental student at IUPUI, carried the Olympic torch between 28th and 30th Streets on Georgetown Road on January 8 as it made its way through Indianapolis toward Terre Haute.

In Terre Haute, Jessica Tolliver, a social work graduate student at IUPUI, waited to help carry the torch along a route that will end in Salt Lake City, the home of the 2002 Winter Games.

Neal and Tolliver were among 62 Hoosiers who carried the torch across Indiana.

Neal was nominated to be a Torchbearer by his girlfriend who admires his hard work and dedication. Neal grew up in a financially disadvantaged household with a large family and worked to put himself through college and dental school. In addition to his studies, Neal spends his time volunteering as a bingo caller three times a week at the local American Veterans chapter.

"My girlfriend wrote to the committee concerning my life," Neal said. "I didn't know she had done it until I received something in mail about torch relay. I called her to tell her had happened and she started crying on the phone."

Wearing a white uniform emblazoned with Olympic markings, including white gloves and cap, jogged the two block stretch, holding the torch high. Before his run, Neal marveled at the opportunity to be a part of the Olympics.

"I've always been a big fan of the Olympics," he said. "For me, it's hard to explain how wonderful this is. There are only 62 people in Indiana that will carry the torch and I get to be one of them."

In years to come, Neal will only have to look at the torch he carried and his Olympic torcherbearer's uniform, which he gets to keep, to rekindle the memories of the flame he carried.

Jessica Tolliver, who is from Vincennes, was nominated as a Torchbearer by several members of her family and community for her care and compassion for cancer patients. Since being diagnosed with leukemia in 1996, Tolliver has dedicated much of her time to talking with newly diagnosed cancer patients and patients undergoing treatment, offering the insight and compassion of a survivor who has been through all aspects of the disease. She also works with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society as an advocate for cancer patients. She participates in Relay for Life and volunteers with the Hope Lodge. Tolliver is currently in the process of earning her Masters degree in social work from IUPUI.

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