ATLANTA — Businessman A.D. Frazier, one of the key figures responsible for bringing the 1996 Olympic Games to Atlanta, has passed away at the age of 80 at his home in North Georgia.
He was CEO of several prestigious financial institutions and played a significant role in helping Atlanta host the largest peacetime event in history.
Frazier, whose full name was Adolphus Drewry Frazier, served as Chief Operating Officer for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
His friend, former Atlanta Mayor and U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, shared his memories of Frazier with Channel 2′s Karyn Greer on Tuesday.
“Addie Frazier’s legacy is that he helped us through from beginning to end. And we didn’t have to worry about the money. The great tragedy for most Olympic Games is that they always end up in debt,” Young said.
Reflecting on the success of the games, Frazier once remarked, “One of the things I’m proud of, we’re all proud of is that we spent our budget, but we made money.”
In addition to his contributions to the Olympics, Frazier managed the inauguration of former President Jimmy Carter and led the team that reorganized the Carter White House.
The North Carolina native was also the first chairman of Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Following the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, he became president and CEO of the global investment management group Invesco.
Young highlighted Frazier’s significant financial influence on the Olympics, saying, “We were able to raise with A.D.’s help $2.5 billion with no government money. It was all private money. And we ended up with almost $100 million left over.”
Atlanta attorney Charlie Battle, who played a key role in bringing the Olympics to Atlanta, called Frazier’s passing a “great loss to Atlanta.”
“Everyone should be grateful to A.D. Frazier for bringing our Olympic Games in on time and on budget,” Battle said.
Plans for a memorial service have not yet been announced.