SYCAMORE — Except  for the birth of his son later that same year, it was the biggest thing that ever happened to him.

"It's very, very dear to my heart," Abed Zantout said.

Zantout was one of two product engineers who designed and developed the torch used in the 1984 Summer Olympics for Turner Industries, which was part of Cooper Tools,  based in Sycamore at the time. Zantout shared  his story at an encore presentation at the Sycamore History Museum on Wednesday, July 25.

Although he wasn't part of it, Zantout said Turner also made the torch for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. Saying it's usually the host country that designs the Olympic torch, Zantout said Turner was the only American company to bid on it.

"They didn't make any money," he said. "They just did it for public relations."

Zantout said he was assigned the task of designing the torch in the fall of 1983, but it wasn't approved until April of the next year, just a month before the relay was to begin. A total of 5,200 torches were made with some parts manufactured in Sycamore and other parts in a plant in California, where it was actually assembled.

According to the Olympic Museum, the torches were made of "spun aluminum with an antique brass finish. A leather handle has name brand for engraving name. Torches were numbered sequentially and inscribed with the Olympic motto, Citius, Altius, Fortius."

Zantout said the torches had to weigh 2 pounds, 4 ounces and measure 22 inches in length. They also  had to burn for at least 40 minutes and withstand light rain and 60 mile per hour winds.

Zantout said runners in the 82-day torch relay had to donate $3,000 to carry it. The Olympic Museum reports there were 3,636 runners.

"That's how they made their money," Zantout said.

Zantout was part of two 10-mile legs of the race, one in Texas and the other on the West Coast. His job was to train the runners and light the first torch to start every day. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to be in Los Angeles where the games were held.

Zantout, who worked for Turner from 1982 to 1987, said he was watching the TV show "Pawn Stars" when someone brought in a 1984 torch to sell. He said they couldn't reach a deal because the shop didn't offer the owner enough for it.

Michelle Donahoe, executive director of the museum, said the first talk was presented last February as part of the current "Sycamore Works" exhibit, which ends in September. So many expressed an interest in the subject, she said she decided to hold an encore presentation last week, two days before the current Olympic Games in London, England officially kicked off.

"We thought this was a good time to do it," she said.