In many ways, this entire book is an acknowledgment of our love and appreciation for our parents, so it might seem superfluous to thank them again here. But it would be a sin of omission to leave them out of this section. The choices and decisions they made throughout the years—small, medium, and large—are what shaped the story we have to tell. What a gift it is to be able to look back at our lives with such love, respect, and appreciation. So, thanks, Mom and Dad.
Thanks also to our literary agents at Creative Artists Agency, Mollie Glick and Cait Hoyt, to whom we were introduced by Ron’s longtime CAA reps Richard Lovett and Risa Gertner. Mollie and Cait shepherded us through the whole process: the first creative discussions, the preparation of the book proposal, and then the business of finding a home for us at William Morrow.
At Morrow, we have been privileged to work with a wonderful and supportive team. We have especially enjoyed working closely with Mauro DiPreta, our editor. Mauro’s patience, suggestions, and overall guidance enriched our storytelling at every step. Vedika Khanna was right along there with Mauro, and we thank her as well.
And of course, this book would not be what it is without David Kamp. He threw his considerable talent and experience as both a journalist and an author into helping us effectively define, shape, and thoughtfully present this story of our journeys through boyhood and into our early adult lives. He listened, asked questions one way and then another, and when our book needed it, he would find a third way to open a window to our self-discovery. We talked, traded emails, and shared documents back and forth, as David sifted through our notes, old articles, and correspondences preserved by our dad. Without David’s dogged intent to bring the insights of our stories into a structured narrative, we would still be scratching our heads, or, worse, we’d have given up. Thank you, David. You’re an incredible storysmith, for sure.
And now, some personal notes of thanks, offered in order of birth . . .
RON
My wife, Cheryl, has been a remarkable and constant source of love, support, and wisdom for the better part of my life. She has also, project by project, been a creative secret weapon. An author herself, Cheryl not only believed in this book idea but poured hours into it with me, discussing the pages, reading various drafts, and helping me sift through my memory banks.
Son-in-law Dane Charbeneau was an early proponent of the book and also offered feedback on various drafts, as did two of my longtime professional collaborators, the film editor Dan Hanley and the screenwriter and director Bob Dolman. Their thoughts and belief in this project were invaluable.
Two significant champions of taking on this book in the first place were Tom Hanks and Dan Brown. It was Tom who suggested that Clint and I focus on our childhood years in the business. As we worked on various projects together over the years, Tom kept asking me about my formative times in the business, a subject that always piqued his curiosity. Dan urged Clint and me to pursue the unusual approach of coauthoring this memoir from our individual perspectives. Tom and Dan’s encouragement and sage advice nudged Clint and me to take the leap.
Boyhood buddies Noel Salvatore, Bob Wemyss, and John Matheus gathered in a lengthy Zoom session one afternoon to reminisce and lend their perspectives on the Howard Boys, then and now. As did my dear friend Henry Winkler, who took the time to delve into the Happy Days era, our personal relationship, and his observations about Clint and my parents. Henry truly deepened my understanding of our shared past.
Tim Abou-Nasr—with the help of my daughter and his fiancée, Paige—not only read drafts of this book to offer comments but also took charge of sorting through our family’s scrapbooks and archives to retrieve and supervise the restoration of many images. Tim’s dogged efforts stirred our memories and led to some discoveries of moments in our pasts that Clint and I had forgotten about. Tim and Paige, we can’t thank you enough.
My other children—Bryce, Jocelyn, and Reed—have been hearing versions of many of these stories all their lives: over family meals, at Christmas gatherings, and, more recently, during COVID-occasioned Zoom meetups. They, along with their partners—Seth, Dane, and Ashley—offered up their reactions, recollections, and encouragement. Thank you, kids.