Bata and the Olympic Torch

Good morning and Happy Monday.

I am writing to say thank you to Mrs. Haueisen and Alyssa Dufair for a very thoughtful Happy Grandparents Day card. Alyssa�s Grandma and I
enjoyed it very very much. It made us very happy. I would like to tell you a very special story about Alyssa and her grandpa. Alyssa is blest to have 3 grandpas and 1 great-grandpa. However, I am the grandpa with a very special name. When Alyssa was very little she decided to call me BATA, which is her way of saying Grandpa. That name has stuck and now I am Alyssa�s BATA. And I am the only person in the whole world who is Alyssa�s Bata. That makes me feel very special. We love Alyssa and her brother Ian. We don�t get to see them as often as we would like because we live up in Chicago, Illinois. Alyssa and her family drive up to Chicago some times and Grandma Judy and I drive down to West Lafayette some times.

We can�t wait to see her soon for her birthday. I want to tell one quick story about a very special time Alyssa and I shared. Almost 2 years ago, I was chosen to carry the Olympic Torch, for the Winter Olympics, as it traveled from Olympia, Greece to Salt Lake City, Utah. I was one of a select few who were privileged to carry The Torch through Chicago. Well, to make that moment even more special, Alyssa and her dad drove up to Chicago to cheer me on as I carried the torch. At the end of my turn, Alyssa ran up and gave me a big hug right in front of the TV cameras and we were both on all the TV stations in Chicago that evening. Everyone in Chicago, that day, got to see Alyssa, Bata and the Olympic Torch on TV. What an exciting day we had. Thank you all for allowing me to share this story about Alyssa and her Bata. I hope you have a super week in school.

Jim Dunne / Bata