As razor-like rain blanketed Soldier Field, leaving a wet sheen on the turf, a light emerged from one of the stadium’s tunnels: the Special Olympics flame.
Transported across the country by plane and proudly run into the stadium by law enforcement officers and Special Olympians, the torch continued to blaze in spite of the rain, reaching its final destination Friday at the new Special Olympics monument.
After all, a few bursts of a torrential downpour are hardly a match for the eternal flame of hope.
The monument — sculpted by Chicago artist Richard Hunt — was commissioned as part of the Special Olympics 50th anniversary celebration in Chicago this weekend. Located just outside Soldier Field — where the first Special Olympic Games were held in 1968 — the monument commemorates that anniversary and the work the Special Olympics organization has done around the world to empower those with intellectual disabilities.
The street the monument is on — formerly known as McFetridge Drive — will now be named Special Olympics Boulevard, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Timothy Shriver announced.
Gov. Bruce Rauner gave a brief speech encouraging individuals to ensure the “American Dream is a reality for all.” Some who’d been at the first Special Olympics also attended Friday’s festivities, including some athletes and many of the organization’s founders.
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke was a physical education teacher with the Chicago Park District in 1968 when she came up with the idea of an Olympic-style event for individuals with special needs. With the help of the Chicago Park District, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the Kennedy Foundation, that dream came true.
Burke spoke before the lighting ceremony and received a standing ovation. Burke said it “meant everything” to have a permanent monument for the Special Olympics and that she “finally felt satisfied.”
“The world is involved, (and) now we have a definite place in history for Special Olympians and inclusion,” Burke said.
Burke had expected the Special Olympics to be a one-time event, but the organization now spans six continents and provides training and competitions for over 5 million athletes.
Perhaps in a moment of divine intervention, the clouds parted and the sun shone through just as Special Olympics representatives from across the globe made their way toward the monument. Kester Edwards, a global messengers from Trinidad, spoke about how much Special Olympics had changed his life as an athlete, and how honored he’s been to work for the organization.
He asked the crowd to continue to work toward further inclusion for those with special needs and not be satisfied with the status quo.
“What will you do for Special Olympics after we leave today?” he asked.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel got in only few words before he had to leave the stage abruptly as the rain resumed.
But even the rain couldn’t stop the Special Olympians. With a lot of determination — and a little propane — the eternal flame in the memorial was lit amid pomp and circumstance, and will forever burn outside the site of those first inclusive games.
