On Memorial Day, May 27, 2024, the University City Memorial Day Run (MDR) will turn fifty! For the upcoming 50th Anniversary of this beloved University City tradition, the MDR Committee would like to hear from runners, volunteers, and others associated with the Run over the years. Some volunteers who help put on the Run have been associated with it for many years and others for almost its entire history. Some who run in the races have also participated for most of its fifty years. Some families have three generations of runners that have competed – parents, children, and now the grandchildren of those who first stepped up to the start line half a century ago. If you are one of those who share the Run’s history, if you have stories to tell about your experience in the MDR, or if you have suggestions as to how to make this Golden Anniversary memorable, we want to hear from you! Photos from past years and stories that are shared will be posted on the Memorial Day Run Facebook page. Be a part of history – email your story to [email protected] .

Mayor Nathan B. Kaufman, foreground with starting gun at the start of the Run in 1977.

Mayor Nathan B. Kaufman, foreground with starting gun; one of the Run founders, Jack Frohlichstein, left; and author David Carkeet, behind the Mayor, at the start in 1977.

U City in Bloom has been part of this event for decades. How, you may ask, did a community gardening group like U City in Bloom end up organizing a road race each Memorial Day? Here’s a brief history of the University City Memorial Day Run, which began in 1974. At that time, the City of University City had a volunteer Special Events Commission. It was tasked with creating several community-wide events, a bit like the Municipal Arts and Letters Commission does now. Some members of the Commission were avid runners and decided to organize a road race on Memorial Day as one of their events. The Run raised some money from entry fees and the Special Events Commission distributed any profits to various community groups. Of all the events the Commission organized, the Run was the most successful and long-lived. But after nine years, the Commission disbanded, and the Run needed a new home.

 

 

 

It seemed a shame to let a popular event die on its 10th anniversary. Some of the original Memorial Day Run organizers approached the University City Public Library to see if it would be interested in taking on the Run as a library fundraiser. At that time, the Library could well use some extra funds, so it agreed to it. From 1984 until 1999, that was how things operated. After a slow start and a bit of a learning curve, the Run became even more successful. For years, the Memorial Day Run had the good fortune to have the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as its sponsor. Not only did the Post design and pay for the race t-shirts, but it also gave the event invaluable publicity. At the height of this period, the event hosted 3,200 runners – and that was before anything for producing race results was automated.

Mayor Joseph Mooney at the 1980 Run

Start of the 1980 Run in Heman Park

Things became difficult in the late nineties when the Post-Dispatch discontinued its sponsorship. The University City Children’s Center (UCCC) organized a small Run in Fall 1999 to raise money for its preschool. Encouraged by its success, UCCC asked if they could join the Library in putting the Memorial Day Run in 2000. The Library and UCCC joined forces, incorporated, and drew up official by-laws. Together, the two organizations found new sponsors and volunteers to keep the Run going.

In 2006, a couple who had been married the day before Memorial Day, ran in their wedding clothes.

The Library had worked closely with U City in Bloom (UCB) since shortly after UCB was founded in 1985. UCB landscaped its large grounds over the course of several years. Several members of the Memorial Day Run Committee also had ties to U City in Bloom. U City in Bloom was invited to join the MDR Board and now there were three organizations sharing the work and the profits equally. About three years later, the Children’s Center left the Memorial Day Run Board and the Green Center, which was founded in 1998, became the third member of the MDR Committee.

U City in Bloom is proud to be an organizer of the Memorial Day Run. It benefits from the funds that it raises for on-going and new projects. Over the years, the race courses have changed several times, but it always showcases our city. The present route passes by many of UCB’s most beautiful gardens, beginning with the Library, City Hall, and the Delmar Roundabout and on past the extensive landscapes surrounding University City High School. Hope to see you at the races on May 27 !