Grief and fear still lingered in John Baker’s heart over the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but as Salt Lake City opened the 2002 Olympic Winter Games that following February, those bad feelings seemed to fall away.
Then in his early 20s, the Bountiful resident remembers a torrent of uplifting experiences from those 16 days. Meeting countless international visitors as an Olympic volunteer. The thrill of live world-class competitions at Utah’s Olympic venues and nightly events at Olympic Medals Plaza. Huge artistic murals draped across the city’s buildings. Watching the Closing Ceremonies’ immense fireworks display from atop his parents’ rooftop nearby.