The State - News from May 10, 1985

A 7-year-old Pacifica girl who carried the Olympic torch in the relay to the 1984 Summer Games and doesn’t want to part with it, has been sued by the boys’ club that sponsored the girl’s run. The 1,000-member South San Francisco Boys’ Club filed the civil lawsuit in San Mateo Superior Court against Tonya Elkins, asking for the return of the $3,000 torch and $50,000 in damages. The girl was picked to carry the torch through a club drawing, after she joined the Pacifica and South City Boys’ and Girls’ Club. The club maintains that the girl’s mother was told that the torch was the club’s property, but that she refused to return it. The club hoped to display the torch so that all club members could see it. The girl’s family, however, disputes the club’s claim, maintaining that the girl was not told she would not be allowed to keep the torch. “Tonya doesn’t want to give it up,” the girl’s grandfather said. “She’s very proud of it.”