Episode Details

Note: The location of the book signing has been moved to Wordsmith Bookshoppe, 235 E. Main St. Barry Swanson wanted his grandchildren to know what it felt like to be a Galesburg Silver Streak in 1966. "I wanted it to be remembered," Swanson said — so he wrote a memoir, "Streaksburg," about a team that started the season ranked No. 1 in the state, weathered a rare midseason losing stretch, then reeled off win after win through the tournament, beating four top-10 teams on the way to a second-place finish at the IHSA State Boys' Basketball tournament. The 1965-66 Silver Streaks starter and Galesburg High School Hall of Famer joined WGIL's Jay Redfern on Galesburg's Morning News Tuesday, Sept. 22, ahead of Wednesday's book signing at Wordsmith Bookshoppe, to talk about the book — including a story about longtime friend Dale Kelley he says few people know. Swanson said the memoir format let him weave in his own family history and Galesburg's railroad heritage alongside the story of the season itself — not just a basketball recap. They talked about: Why this story needed to be a book, and why now The conflict between Dale Kelley and Coach John Thiel after an injury during the Quincy sectional game — and the scoring tear that followed Teammates Swanson made a point of giving their due, including Bob Jasperson, Steve Marshall, Bruce LaViolette, Mike Drasites, Terry Childers, Roland McDougald and Bob Lindstrom Why Swanson says the locker room and the classroom taught him the same lessons The back-cover line Swanson says sums up the whole book   Swanson will sign copies of "Streaksburg" Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Wordsmith Bookshoppe, 235 E. Main St. in Galesburg, hosted by Wordsmith Bookshoppe, as part of his visit home for his 60th class reunion. The book is available in hardcover, paperback and ebook. Related: Dale Kelley & Barry Swanson, 1966 Silver Streaks — ‘We Never Believed We Were Gonna Lose’ 🎧 Subscribe to Galesburg's Morning News: Apple Podcasts | Spotify