This image is the cover for the book Life on Route 66

Life on Route 66

A celebration of America’s most historic highway, in words and pictures.

Winding through the rugged heartland of the American West, Route 66 has resonated for generations in hardscrabble tales of hopeful seekers of new homes and new lives. It also inspired Alan and Claudia Heller, longtime residents of Duarte, a California town along Route 66, to hitch their trailer to a retirement dream and travel the road again, journeying through their home state and back to Chicago.

They collected stories of the iconic highway, and what it means to the people who live along its way, for a series in the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group. This collection retraces their journey and introduces us to some of the people and places that make Route 66 truly historic.

Claudia Heller, Alan Heller

The oldest of seven children, Claudia grew up in Hollywood, California, and graduated from Los Angeles City College with an AA degree in journalism. Living in Duarte, California, for the past thirty years, she has become engrained in the community, serving as president of the Duarte Historical Society and Museum for the past twelve years. She is a former president of the Duarte Woman's Club. For more than ten years, she has authored a biweekly column for the Star News, a section of the Pasadena Star News. Her columns feature people, events and history of the Duarte area. Growing up in Silverlake, California, Alan earned a BA degree in biology at California State University, Los Angeles. He currently serves as president of Duarte's Public Access Channel (DCTV) and is a former commissioner of the Duarte Parks and Recreation Commission. Alan is a member of the Westerners Corral of History Writers and E Clampus Vitus, a historical society that places history plaques throughout the West. He is also a former president of the Underwater Photographic Society. His photographs have appeared in many professional publications, including Westways magazine and Skin Diver magazine. Alan is retired from his career in sales.

The History Press