Hector the Cat eight of his nine lives due to "ignorance of road safety practices". This was followed by a short instructional film. In subsequent years other characters were introduced in calendars, instructional films, and comic books including Millie, his girlfriend (1973), Uncle Tom (1974), Hector and Millie's three kittens (1975) and his space friend Ding Dong (1982). A study in 1978 found that, although children enjoyed the characters and stories, the material had a number of inadequacies. It stressed that road safety research findings and child development theory would need to be considered for any future development. The character is currently used
Hector High School exams and may take Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exam with the opportunity to receive college credit prior to high school graduation. Hector High School is nationally recognized as a Bronze Medalist for its academic programs in the Best High Schools Report 2012 developed by "U.S. News & World Report". The Hector High School mascot and athletic emblem is the "Wildcat" with royal blue and white serving as the school colors. The Hector Wildcats compete in interscholastic activities within the 2A Classification—the state's second smallest classification—via the 2A Region 4 Conference (football) and 2A Region 4 East Conference (basketball), as