Professor Carries Torch For the China Olympics

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Northwestern University Professor Clarke Caywood carried the Olympic torch today in China's Yunnan province, wearing pins honoring Northwestern, his home state of Wisconsin, the proposed Chicago 2016 Olympics and his father's service in World War II.

Underneath his T-shirt, the professor of integrated marketing communications carried a Medill School of Journalism banner that Olympic officials said he couldn't openly bear while running with the torch.

Never one to waste time when it comes to brand marketing, Caywood revealed the Medill banner to members of the Chinese press upon completing his 43-meter run with the flame.

Caywood was invited to be a torchbearer by Samsung Corp. By the time the Olympic torch reaches Beijing in August, more than 23,000 torchbearers will have carried its flame.

"I'm not an athlete, but I am very honored to be part of the Olympic cause and history," said Caywood, who for many years chaired Medill's integrated marketing communications department and continues to teach in it.

For the last five years, Caywood also has taught at Chinese universities and has been instrumental in bringing Chinese business leaders to Northwestern to learn about business practices and to visit Chicago-based businesses and the Chicago Board of Trade and Board of Options Exchange.

Caywood arrived in China last week to lecture graduate business students at Sun Yat-sen University on crisis and risk management, and was part of a seminar on building green awareness before taking off with the torch in the city of Lijiang.