It was Aug. 6, 1994, and J. Douglas Boles was working for then Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith. At that time, Indianapolis was an up-and-coming city, gaining a strong reputation for business and a downtown area that was rapidly being revitalized.

Indy had already earned international acclaim as a mecca for sports. Its professional sports teams included the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, but this was long before Peyton Manning became the most famous professional athlete in the city’s history.