The Gold Medal Way of Making Friends: Charles Battle ’60 and the Atlanta Olympics

Stories from the Ridge, The McCallie Podcast

While the attention of the nation and the world is turning to Paris and the 2024 Olympics, we step back in time for some Gold Medal winning stories of the 1996 Olympics which were held in Atlanta, just down the road from McCallie’s Chattanooga campus. In this episode of Stories From the Ridge, Charles Battle ’60 shares insider stories – and some long-held secrets – about his critical role in Atlanta’s bid for the Olympics and the ensuing successful games, which placed Atlanta on the map as a leading international city. Charles’ tells stories about how he, as a member of the famous Atlanta Nine who led the Olympic effort, traveled around the world, meeting royalty and world leaders, befriending them, and gaining their votes for Atlanta . . . and later more wonderful stories about how the games were carried out so successfully. It’s all about making friends and being a friend, he says. We encourage you to listen all the way to the end to hear Charles read a poem from one of his 1960 McCallie classmates.