Q:  What prompted you to write your book?

A:  Literally hundreds of my high school classmates remain closely connected 45 years after we graduated.  We are in electronic contact daily.  We come together at reunions and mini-reunions all over the country and on class cruises.  Importantly, we provide support for classmates in need.  I felt that telling the story of our class from going to high school in the early 60s to being in our early 60s would serve two purposes.  First, it would bring our class even closer together.  Secondly, other classes from different high schools would be able to relate to our story and appreciate their class even more.

Q:  What is the significance of Hail Hail to U City High?
A:  I attended University City High School in suburban St. Louis, where our colors are gold and black.  Our alma mater begins with the line, "Hail hail to U City High."  In this context "hail" means "acclaim" or "approve enthusiastically."  The alma mater in its entirety is:

    Hail, hail to U. City High
    All hail to our old gold and black
    Hail, hail to U. City High
    Our friendship may she never lack
    Ever faithful, ever true
    As we raise our song anew
    All the days we've spent with you

    All hail U. City High           

Q:  Is this book just for your classmates?

A:  No.  We represent but one class of early baby boomers who have lived through the same events of human history and who came from a similar time and culture.  Any early baby boomer will find his or her story in Hail Hail to U City High.  Also, those from classes before ours lived through the era that forged the boomers.  They preceded us in our journey.  In the book, I look into the future of my class—we can learn from the classes that have gone before.

Perhaps younger readers, including those still in high school might learn from our journey.  There is a section of the book called, “If I Knew Then What I Know Now.”  It is but one story of what we have learned about ourselves as we have matured.  A younger reader could learn those lessons sooner and be better for it.

Q:  What do you mean by your class being “closely connected?”

A:  Here are a couple of examples.  It has become second nature for a classmate who is going to be traveling to find out which classmates live in the vicinity, contact them, and arrange to get together.  We call them mini-reunions and they happen all over the country throughout the year.  Importantly, this is not just about those classmates who were close in school.  Mini-reunions frequently happen among classmates who barely knew each other, but still find it energizing to connect.

Another example is that more than 200 classmates belong to an active electronic discussion group.  In its six years, there have been more than 17,000 postings, a number that grows daily.  This does not count the tens of thousands of private e-mail messages that are prompted by the communal discussion group.

Q:  What has kept your class so close and connected?

A:  First of all, not only are deeply connected, but that closeness is growing as we age together.  The new technologies, including e-mail and discussion groups, clearly help us stay connected.  Despite the availability of the technology, I’ve learned that attempts for other classes and schools to stay connected between reunions have not been consistently successful.  I believe, therefore, the University City Class of 1964 was predisposed to stay close and the technology merely enabled us.

In the book, I address the background, families, culture, and era from which we came, describe the influence the high school itself had on us, and propose the “Top Ten" reasons all of that led to our level of connectedness.

Q:  Do you have any regrets about your class?

A:  Yes, while there are hundreds of classmates who, in one way or another, stay connected, there are also hundreds who do not.  I don’t think badly of these classmates, but regret not having them still in the fold.  There are also a number we refer to as “Lost Indians” (our school mascot was the Indian).  These may be classmates who would love to reconnect, but we just do not know where they are.

Finally, I deeply regret that so many of our classmates have died.  Remarkably, the death of a classmate serves as one of the things that brings us closer together.  Mourning together is one of the ways we support each other.

Q:  Do you foresee your class continuing to be close?

A:  Yes—if possible, even closer.  I hope my book brings us closer together.  It was one of my objectives in writing the book.  I made it a class project and many classmates contributed their perspectives and allowed their life experiences to be shared to help complete the story of our journey.  I also believe that as we grow older, there will be a natural tendency for us to search for a greater belonging.  This will come from families, but also from our extended “family”—our class.

Q:  What role do reunions play in the connectedness of your class?

A:  As I say in the book, class reunions are at the primal core of connectedness for any class.  Ours are well-planned, well-executed, energizing, emotional, and just plain fun.  But as important as the reunions are, they are so infrequent that they cannot act alone to drive our closeness.  That is why the electronic communications are key, because they enable real-time contact.  As well, mini-reunions and class cruises create face-to-face connectedness.  A message from a classmate is nice—a hug and personal contact is wonderful.

Q:  What are examples of how you and others support your classmates in need?

A:  A classmate’s elderly mother fell ill on a family trip.  The classmate, who happens to be blind, was far from family and home and short on funds.  Another classmate lived close to where the mother was hospitalized and established himself as the class liaison.  Others sent funds from all over the country.

Another classmate, who was seriously ill, found her computer crashed.  We raised the funds to purchase a new computer for her.  Another classmate living nearby set up the computer in her home.  She was connected to the class until she passed away.

Q:  What is the most important lesson you have learned from the story of your class?

A:  As we age and mature, the cliques, posturing, and self-centeredness of our youth fade away.  What is left are wonderful individuals who shared a lifetime with us, some friends all along and others merely classmates.  When this happens, the barriers come down—old friends become closer and new friends are made.  If we knew in high school what we know now, we would have been more open to a wider range of relationships.  Happily, those relationships are evident to us now and we are taking advantage of them.