The Blount County Board of Commissioners, county Mayor Ed Mitchell and family and friends of Capt. Jack Gillooly gathered to honor Gillooly with a proclamation Thursday, Dec. 14. Gillooly, 103,
But
Richard Jewell and
Watson Bryant formed a bond, one that Jewell would rely on heavily when thrust upon the global stage as the suspect in the 1996 Olympics bombing.
Watson Bryant, left, poses with Hollywood mogul Clint Eastwood and Bobi Jewell, mother of Richard Jewell, who was falsely accused of setting off a bomb in Centennial Park during the 1996 Olympics.Â
Bryant told the story of the improbable alliance as guest speaker of the Kiwanis Club of Marietta last week. He also shared Hollywood tales of his involvement with the
Clint Eastwood biopic âRichard Jewell,â released last year.
When Jewell went from the hero who discovered the bomb in Centennial Park to the villain who planted it in the eyes of the FBI, the media â and subsequently the world, he called on his friend Watson Bryant for help.