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It’s been almost a half century since the nation’s baby boomers entered their formative high school years.  Some recall those days with great clarity; others’ memories of their mid-teen years have faded.  Alan Spector brings them alive again through the eyes of his suburban Missouri classmates of University City ’64.  It’s all there—the classes (including scary drivers’ education movies), the crushes (usually without sex), and the calamities (the JFK assassination, the Vietnam War).  Spector captures the boomers’ key moments, from rushing home for The Three Stooges to avoiding the draft by gaining weight, then follows his colorful classmates for four decades in a fast-moving, personal read on a generation.

Ted Gest:  President—Criminal Justice Journalists; Author—Crime & Politics:  Big Government’s Erratic Campaign for Law and Order; University City High School Class of 1964

Each of us cherishes our close personal relationships.  This is my experience, not surprisingly what I confirmed when researching my book, Life Begins and Ends with Girlfriends, and what Al Spector unveils as he tells the story of his high school class and their journey together.  Al's storytelling drew me in and made me feel part of his class and their close relationships.  Everyone reading Hail, Hail to U City High will be able to relate their own friendships to those of Al’s classmates. 

Judith Van Ginkel, PhD:  President—Every Child Succeeds; Author—Life Begins and Ends with Girlfriends; Stonewall Jackson High School (West Virginia) Class of 1958

As I approach retirement, I often find myself reflecting on my teen-age years and what it was like to live in a wonderful mid-western community and attend a magnificent public high school.  Having traveled widely, I have become convinced that the combination of educational excellence and dedication of its teachers, parents and students has produced an array of alumnae that ranks with any community in this country.  From the arts to government service, from science and medicine to sports, from education to business, University City and its school system has established itself as a model of successful public education and community involvement.  Few public high schools in America can equal its high level of academic achievement and comparable success with its extra-curricular programs such as theatre, music, athletics, and public service.  Alan Spector has effectively captured the essence of what it was like to grow up in such a place and why we should strive to spread its example.     

Ken Holtzman:  Major League Baseball Pitcher;  University City High School Class of 1963

As a director for NBC Sports, I had the privilege in the late '70s of  working with a tight-knit, hard-working staff, both those behind the scenes and those seen on camera, including Curt Gowdy, Joe Garagiola, Sandy Koufax, Arnold Palmer, and Lee Trevino.  Over the years members of the staff, including me, went our separate ways.  In 2004 I initiated, planned, and coordinated a reunion attended by more than 100 former colleagues.  I found that Al Spector's book, Hail, Hail to U City High, perfectly captures the sentiment of our NBC Sports reunion and how our staff still feels about each other when he describes the closeness of his high school class after all these years.  He makes the same point with his class that I made when I spoke at our NBC staff get-together, 'This reunion brought us together with people we thought were gone from our lives forever, but instead we have found we have been and will be friends forever.'  Anyone who has ever been part of a group of people who meant so much to each other that their friendship overcomes time and distance will thoroughly enjoy Al Spector's book.

Ken Fouts:  Director—NBC Sports; Bellevue High School (Nebraska) Class of 1959

Don't ever underestimate the power a teacher has on their students.  Alan's book reminds us how all it takes is for one teacher to make a difference in the life of their students.  It doesn't matter what era you grew up in, your teachers leave lasting memories.

Brad Cohen:  Author—Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had; Parkway Central High School (Missouri) Class of 1992

Following his first book, Baseball: Never Too Old to Play the Game, Alan Spector has hit a home run.  In Hail, Hail to U City High,  Al looks to the future of his high school class (1964) of baby boomers as they move into a new phase of their lives.  And he rightfully focuses on two things — their personal fitness and the importance of pursuing the passions of their youth.  Their stories and his hopes for his classmates are really about all of us. 

Logan Franklin:  Author—Living a Fitness Lifestyle and Gray Iron: A Fitness Guide for Senior Men and Women; San Ramon Valley Union High School (California) Class of 1956

In light-hearted, nostalgic reminiscences in Hail, Hail to U City High, Alan Spector has obviously found in his own high school in the mid-sixties the recipe for a good school: capable, cooperative students; qualified (well-educated), dedicated teachers; concerned, involved parents; sensitive accountable administrators; enlightened, responsive Boards of Education; a supportive community.  Together with an expansive curriculum that included innovative courses and techniques but did not exclude elements of classic education, the school was, for the majority of teenagers in our community, a wholesome haven.  And the memories of those “days we spent with you” are still dear and vividly recaptured in this book.
Wallace G. Klein; University City High School Faculty, 1954-1983; School Historian and Alumni Coordinator; University City High School Class of 1940

Snapshots of high school memories as viewed through the lens of the distant future. A chance to relive a treasure trove of fascinating stories.

Lester Horwitz:  Pulitzer-Prize Nominated Author—The Longest Raid of the Civil War; Hughes High School (Ohio) Class of 1949

Alan Spector has taken his high school graduating class of 1964 on a wonderful journey back to their sweet youth. In this lively part chronicle, part memoir, Alan takes us all back to a time when he and his fellow classmates lived life to the fullest – perhaps more fully and exuberantly than ever since. Bursting with joy when he and his teammates, including the soon -to- be ace major league pitcher, Ken Holtzman, won the State baseball championship;  bursting with tears six months later when the school principal, Dr. Mark Boyer, announced over the PA system that  President Kennedy was dead; and then bursting with euphoria eleven months later when the “Birds” of youth  - the St Louis Cardinals - delivered a belated high school graduation gift by besting the New York Yankees in a seven game World Series – this book is a testament both to Alan’s diligent research and the vivid memories he has captured.  Reading the book is a rekindling experience. It is also a bittersweet journey that chronicles the loss of youth and the loss of fellow classmates who have passed on.  The book is special, much like University City High School and one of its first graduates – the great playwright Tom “Tennessee” Williams, author of the 1959 play “Sweet Bird of Youth” a play which Alan was most likely assigned in Miss Wanda Bowers’ English class a few years later. 

Robert Berkowitz:  History Teacher—Rutgers University and Essex and Mercer Community Colleges; Historical Novelist; West Orange Mountain High School (New Jersey) Class of 1965

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