I had just returned from Washington, D.C. where I had been employed for most of 1983 by the United States Department of State seeking a position with the Diplomatic Mail and Pouch Department as a Diplomatic Courier. This had been my attempt at a third Security Clearance and with the events occurring in the Middle East during 1983 all Agents doing Clearances had been pulled off their tasks to devote more time to what was eventually to become Homeland Security.
My brother, George Payne, had retired as Special Agent in Charge for the Washington Field Office, U.S. Department of State, early in 1983 and had been conversing with John Underwood, Knoxville, Tennessee who had been Asst. Director of Security during the 1982 Worlds Fair in Knoxville. Mr. Underwood had been asked to bring his team from Knoxville to Los Angeles to head up security for that event. He invited my brother who had taken residence in Tucson, Arizona with his family to Los Angeles to interview for a position with the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee (LAOOC). My brother had done so and was hired weeks before the event and once the Olympics began would head up security for the Western Sector with base at Santa Anita Racetrack, Arcadia, California.
There had been talk of the Weather Underground, a U.S. radical group, planning an attack with a large quantity of plastic explosives during the Games. Bella
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The Soviet Union and 13 Communist allies stay home in a payback for the Americans boycotting the Moscow Olympics in 1980 because of a Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. (See CNN News Report) High-tech metal detectors are used at the entrance of each venue for the first time in history. The British Equestrian Team had brought specially fitted gas masks for their team horses and had tried to embarrass the American's by putting them on to protest having the event in the smog of Los Angeles. But as you will see by my pictures the air was fresh, crisp and clean all during the 16 days of the event.
I had been busy with getting the family property spruced up in hopes of making enough money to buy an airline ticket to Los Angeles just to visit my brother for a short time before the games began. I had nine acres of freshly planted timothy and clover hay that I traded a friend, State Trooper Doug Tripp mowing and hauling services for half the hay. I sold my half for enough money to buy my ticket. I had mowed another eight acres rented from TVA and sold enough fence posts and firewood to cover most of my expenses once I got there.
My brother had been bringing many of the family out to visit. George, Eddie to his Tennessee family, had his Airstream trailer set up on Malibu Beach at the Malibu Beach RV Park, where he had spent the better part of the Spring employed by the LAOOC. This is where I took up residence once arriving in Los Angeles. I went to work immediately at Marina Del Ray in the badge processing center. I drove in with my brother as I had done years before when we both worked for the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. Those early morning drives were always filled with upbeat encouragement by my big brother who was known for his ability to lead and encourage most anyone he felt worthy of his time.
Santa Anita Park
Knowing that once the
Olympics began we would be moving the Airstream to Santa Anita Park Racetrack
in Arcadia where the Western Sector of the Olympics were headquartered
and that my brother would be responsible for several events taking
place in that Sector the excitement began to mount as time neared.
Before the Equestrian Event began there was a parade of horses
from all over the United States. All breeds registered with any
of the American horse breeding associations was represented. I
took a few pictures from behind
the event stadium as they entered the arena.
Prince Philip, who has had more influence than anyone on the way international equestrian sport has developed, was yesterday inducted into the British Horse Society's Equestrian Hall of Fame.
Prince Philip remains the longest-serving President of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), from 1964-1986, during which time he instigated jumping's Nations Cup series, which has evolved into the Samsung Super League, and actively encouraged the foundation of the Show Jumping World Cup, which in turn spawned World Cups in other disciplines under the aegis of the FEI. Also added to the Hall of Fame, at the Household Cavalry barracks in Knightsbridge, were husband-and-wife show jumpers Ted and Liz Edgar, Mary King, a member of Britain's silver medal three-day event teams in the Athens Olympics and the 2006 World Championships, and, posthumously, Wilf White, a member of the gold medal team at the 1952 Olympics.
Prince Philip of
England arrives in Los Angeles.
Prince Philip the chairman of the International Olympic Committee and
members of his committee toured Santa Anita Race Track to inspect the
facility for the coming Olympics in 1984. Michelle Macfarlane drove her
four-in-hand team of Hackney Horses, which she purchased in Britain,
with the committee on board. During the ride, knowing that Prince
Philip was a renowned whip, she asked him if he would like to drive the
four-in-hand, he politely declined. (Pictures I took of the Macfarland Carriage)
He followed in the footsteps of his daughter, the Princess Royal, who was already on that Roll of Honour.
Opening Ceremony ·
Summer Olympics · 1984 For the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympics the peristyle end of the Los Angeles Coliseum was transformed to accommodate an orchestra, choir, dancers, buglers, and many other performers. The stage was prefabricated and assembled on the field, just outside of the track. The dancer's platforms and planter boxes were assembled over the stadium seats. Behind the choir, risers were installed to elevate the buglers and also to mask the addition of a special platform that was used during the "torch lighting ceremony". A special stairway was built at the top of the center aisle to reach the platform that housed the "torch lighting stairs". All of this scenery, except a very small orchestra riser, had to be struck after the opening ceremony so the peristyle end of the stadium could be used by the public and athletes the next day.
During the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics
opening ceremony a man took off and landed in the middle of the main
stadium with the help of two small jet engines fitted in his backpack.
From then almost 20 years have passed by but we haven't made much
headway in this direction by meeting the burning desire of the whole
humankind of having its own wings like birds and fly like birds in sky.
The torch lighting stairs were
mechanically and structurally designed and engineered and fabricated by
Ethan Sylva. The
hydraulically operated stairs lifted a 4'x 8' platform 30' into the
air. When the stairs were closed they became flush with the surrounding
stage. This picture was taken during testing in the shop.
I had no idea what I would be doing
during the events but had taken a 3
day training course in Security so that I could have the badge
designated as Infinity. I had attended several security briefings
and social gatherings and was really excited about the prospect of
becoming involved in some way in the event. I never dreamed that
I would be asked to become Assistant to the Transportation Director,
George DeWitt, at Santa Anita, employed by the Santa Anita Turf Club as
a Security Driver. I had dual roles during my three weeks which
included transportation of athletes and Officials and helping schedule
and see that Volunteer Staff had their schedules at the beginning of
each day. My very first task was assigned about a week before the
opening day. All horses coming into the country had to go through
quarantine at special facilities near Los Angeles International
Airport. It was my duty to drive the Brazilian Olympic Team's groomsmen to and from the
facility for two weeks.
This meant my day started 
about 4:00 a.m.
I then returned to Santa Anita to pick up schedules for the seven
drivers who routed officials all over the city, also making sure all
cars were fully fueled and food chits were given to each volunteer for
their meal or meals during their long day. My day lasted on an
average of 12 hours but with the intelligence and ability of the
Volunteer Staff in Los Angeles it made my job so much easier.
We were at first told that
there would be chosen from two of the Turf Club drivers one to escort
Prince Philip's detail. He had of 
course brought his own
security and had his silver Jaguar flown from England and made it clear
he wanted none of our drivers in his processions. A local Los
Angeles man was given the task of trying to "chase" Prince Philip's
procession all around the area. The Prince was known to spend
much of his time away from the formalities of the event. I was
chosen to begin meeting many of the Royals from Europe at Los Angeles
International Airport (LAX) and deliver them to their prospective
hotels. There were several Barons from Germany, one Prince from
Russia and countless Lords and Lady's. Many spoke little or no
English so my badge and official car served as proof most of the time
that I was there to drive them.
The group of people to the
left were a most delightful group of Brits that accompanied Prince Philip and the
International Equestrian Federation (F.E.I.). We were together
quite often as I was assigned to drive them to a couple of other
events. I was able to secure an official vehicle and with LAPD
escort took them to the diving competition at USC where this picture
was taken.
