Textile Manufacturer and Philanthropist. Son of textile manufacturer, Fuller Earle Callaway and Ida (nee Cason) Callaway, he served Callaway Mills from 1927 until its purchase by Milliken and Company in 1968 as director, treasurer, president and executive chairman. He served as treasurer of Valley Waste Mills, Tuline, Valway Rug Mills, Rockweave, Oakleaf Mills, Unite Cotton Mills, Hillside Cotton Mills, Elm City Cotton Mills, Manchester Cotton Mills, Milstead Manufacturing Company, Calumet Company, Calumet Cotton Mills and was director and treasurer of Wadle Development Company. He served as treasurer, president and board chairman of the Milstead Railroad Company; treasurer, trustee and board chairman of the Textile Benefit Association. He was trustee, president and board chairman of Callaway Institute; trustee and board chairman of Callaway Educational Association; trustee, president, secretary and treasurer of Fuller E. Callaway Foundation; director of Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in Hartford and New Britain, Connecticut; director and treasurer of Fuller E. Callaway Company; Director of LaGrange National Bank and LaGrange Savings Bank; director of Habersham Mills; trustee of Habersham Mills Foundation, Inc.; director, president and board chairman of International Leasing Corporation and director, president and board chairman of International Products and Services, Inc. Originally buried at Hillview Cemetery in La Grange, Georgia, he was re-interred in the Callaway Family Cemetery on the grounds of "Hills and Dales" estate in La Grange.
_____________
Philanthropist F. E. Callaway Jr. Dies At Age 85
from: LaGrange Daily News," La Grange, Georgia, Thursday, January 16, 1992, p. 1:
Internationally known philanthropist Fuller Earle Calloway Jr., whose leadership guided Callaway Mills to prominence in the textile industry and whose generosity impacted the lives of generations of LaGrange citizens, died this morning at his home on Vernon Street.
He was 85.
Son of the late Fuller E. Callaway, founder of the Callaway Mills, and Mrs. Ida Cason Callaway, Mr. Callaway guided the textile company from 1927 until its purchase by Milliken and Company in 1968. He created the Callaway Foundation in 1943.
Mr. Callaway was a graduate of Georgia Tech and the Eastman School of Business in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
He received an honorary doctor of laws degree from LaGrange College, and an honorary doctor of humanities degree from Mercer University.
Recognized as one of ablest textile executives in the country, he held numerous leadership positions in the industry including President of the Georgia Textile Manufacturer's Association, board chairman of the American Textile Management Institute and Institute of Textile Technology; director, National Association of Manufacturers, fellow, Textile Institute of Manchester, England.
A 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason, he was a member of First Baptist Church, where he had served as chairman of the Board of Deacons. Mr. Callaway was awarded the Silver Beaver for service to Boy Scouts and received the Georgia Institute of Technology Alumni Distinguished Service Awar
He was a former president of LaGrange Rotary Club and Highland Country Club.
Survivors include his wife, the former Alice Hinman Hand of Pelham; one daughter, Mrs. Ida Hudson of LaGrange, five grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
He was the father of the late Fuller E. Callaway III.
Funeral arrangements will be announced by Striffler-Hamby Mortuary.
____________
Callaway: Man of Achievement, Personal Warmth
from: LaGrange Daily News," La Grange, Georgia, Friday, January 17, 1992, p. 1:
Everyone in LaGrange is familiar with Fuller E. Callaway, Jr., much-honored philanthropist and distinguished manufacturing leader.
But friends and colleagues say it is as a man of wit, charm and personal warmth that they will remember him best.
"I loved and respected him very much. He was deeply concerned about LaGrange and her people and evidences of that concern are all around," said Philip Cleaveland, former President of Callaway Mills.
Friends remember Mr. Callaway as a man of humor and a gifted storyteller with a sense of history and marvelous eye for detail.
He loved to talk of his famous father, Callaway Mills founder Fuller E. Callaway, quoting him as saying, "I make American citizens and run cotton mills to pay the expenses."
In 1969, Fuller Callaway Jr. told a University of Georgia Alumni magazine that his designation as an honorary UGA alumnus (He earned a degree in textile engineering at Georgia Tech) often had interesting ramifications.
"One day the computer blew a fuse or something and I was assigned to the Veterinary School and a specific graduating class. That was fine. I really enjoyed reading bout animal research and veterinary medicine."
Another tale told shortly after his marriage to Alice Hand in 1930:
"My wife was a Methodist. We were all Baptists. Her grandfather, her father and four of her five brothers wall went to Georgia. Shortly after we were married someone asked Mother, 'Ida, do you think Alice is going to join the Baptist Church?' Mother said, 'Yes, I think so, she's already cheering for Georgia Tech.'"
____________
LAGRANGE'S 'BEST FRIEND'
Tributes Pour In For Fuller E. Callaway Jr.
from: LaGrange Daily News," La Grange, Georgia, Friday, January 17, 1992, p. 1:
Family, friends, leaders - and legions of everyday citizens - remembered Fuller E. Callaway Jr. as a wonderfully gifted man whose generosity touched countless lives in ways too numerous to enumerate.
Mr. Callaway, whose leadership propelled LaGrange-based Callaway Mills to national and international prominence in the textile industry, died Thursday at this home, Hills and Dales, on Vernon Street. He was 85.
Funeral services will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church with Dr. Paul Baxter officiating. Entombment will follow in the family mausoleum in Hillview Cemetery.
Tributes poured in for Mr. Callaway, led by Gov. Zell Miller who said, "If you want to see Fuller Callaway's monument, just look around you. He did great things all over the state. Even though he's gone, his legacy will benefit the state for generations to come."
Roger Milliken, who purchased Callaway Mills in 1968, described Mr. Callaway as "one of the most extraordinary men I have ever known" and praised him as an innovator and man of amazing generosity.
"Such a man seldom comes along and all of those whose lives he has enriched and inspired - particularly mine - have lost a great friend."
Mr. Callaway's business career, including over 40 years at the helm of the company founded by his father, Fuller E. Callaway, and his remarkable record of philanthropy have earned him a place in history, Troup Archives director Kay Minchew said.
"History will remember Fuller E. Callaway Jr. as the head of Callaway Mills and the Callaway Foundation and as a man who had a tremendous impact on Roup County's history during most of the 20th Century. Mr. Callaway played a role in almost every major development in LaGrange during this period," she said.
The member of the Boards of Trustees of the Callaway Foundation and Fuller E. Callaway Foundation called his loss "irreplaceable."
"A remarkable man, Mr. Callaway's love of life was reflected in his service for others. He possessed many gifts and, with gratitude, we think of his willingness to share those gifts. Through the perpetuation of the religious, charitable and educational activities started by his father, he enhanced the lives of thousands of persons throughout Georgia and the nation," the Foundation statement said. Mr. Callaway studied textile engineering at Georgia Tech, graduating in 1926, and remained a loyal and generous benefactor of his alma mater throughout his life.
Dr. John Patrick Crecine, current President of Georgia Tech, termed Callaway's contributions to Georgia Tech "both massive and strategic."
Crecine said, "It is no accident that three Georgia Tech buildings bear the Callaway family name. He deserves much of the credit for making Georgia Tech a nationally renowned research institution. He was also the best friend of the Georgia Tech students, funding the Student Athletic Complex and, in partnership with the state, a just-completed Student Galleria complex. His assistance to higher education in Georgia, to Georgia economic development through Georgia Tech research and to the lives of generations of Georgia Tech students is a large and fitting legacy."
Mr. Callaway often said he inherited his love and respect for learning from his father - who left school at an early age but studied diligently all his life. Both personally and through the foundations he created, he supported the advancement of education in Georgia in legendary fashion.
In addition to major and repeated gifts to local public schools and LaGrange College and the support of scholarships to promising students, he has supported higher education to a degree virtually unprecedented across Georgia.
He was made an "Honorary alumnus" of the University of Georgia, a rare honor.
UGA President Charles B. Knapp said "Mr. Callaway and his family for years have been among the University's strongest supporters and greatest benefactors. His significant contributions through the Callaway Foundation Inc. to endowed professorships, to the administration and conservatory buildings at the state Botanical Garden, to the University's planned Performing and Visual Arts Center and to the Joint Tech-Georgia Development Fund, are indicative of his life long dedication to the betterment of educational opportunities for the young people of Georgia."
The 40 Fuller C. Callaway Professorial Chairs at 33 institutions were created in 1968 with a $10 million gift to Georgia Colleges and universities, producing at that time the largest private donation to education in the history of the state. A Callaway Chair was also established at Auburn.
Along with education, health care ranked as a priority in Mr. Callaway's distinguished record of philanthropy. :Nothing compares to what the Callaway Foundation has done for West Georgia Medical Center," hospital administrator Charles Foster said, citing the Heart Clinic, Cancer Clinic and Florence Hand Home as just three of many significant Callaway contributions to the local medical facilities.
"Certainly Fuller Callaway has had a tremendous influence on the health care that has been delivered, is currently being delivered and will be delivered in the future to the LaGrange community," Foster said.
At Scottish Rite Hospital in Atlanta, where a new state-of-the-art pediatric care center is named in honor of Alice and Fuller Callaway, officials recalled Mr. Callaway, a 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason, as one of their earliest and staunchest supporters.
"In the days when very few knew there was a Scottish Rite Children's Hospital, the Callaways bought, wrapped and furnished presents for children being treated at the hospital. One of the very first gifts to our endowment came from the Callaway family," board chairman Paul E. Manners said.
LaGrange Mayor Chris Joseph, who attended college on a Callaway Foundation scholarship, pointed out that, around LaGrange, virtually every landmark of cultural, educational, recreational or religious significance has benefited from Mr. Callaway's philosophy of enhancing the quality of life in his cherished hometown.
"We enjoy better schools, churches, parks and other facilities because Mr. Callaway continued his interest that LaGrange would have the very best," Joseph said.
Two current projects - the under-construction Recycling Center and a major landscaping effort at Hillview/Shadowlawn Cemetery, approved just this week by City Council, will continue Mr. Callaway's influence for years to come, the Mayor said.
The Chattachoochee Valley Art Museum, Troup County Archives, Callaway Education Association, LaGrange/Callaway Airport, Bellevue and buildings across the campus of LaGrange College are among the local landmarks which have benefited from Callaway generosity.
"Mr. Callaway was devoted to his church and practiced generous philanthropy which has touched this city in a thousand places, improving its churches, its educational institutions, its health care facilities, its humanitarian service agencies and charities," LaGrange College President Dr. Walter Murphy said.
Churches large and small have utilized the Foundation's matching grants to construct or expand facilities. Mr. Callaway's pastor, Dr. Paul Baxter of First Baptist Church, observes that "Every time I go in our Christian Family Life Center, I realize we have a building based not just on vision and generosity of church members, but also vision and generosity of the Foundation he was so very much a part of."
Dr. Baxter recalled a conversation in which his father had taught him very early about the importance of sharing with others.
"He certainly learned how to share and above all to serve God. He took his father's lesson to heart," Dr. Baxter said.
Mr. Callaway was married on August 6, 1930 to the former Alice Hinman Hand of Pelham.
In addition to Mrs. Callaway, he is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Charles D. Hudson of LaGrange, five grandchildren, Mrs. Steve Craig, Mark C. Callaway, Ellen P. Hudson, Charles D. Hudson Jr., and Mrs. Hank Hughes, all of LaGrange and 12 great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are by Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, LaGrange Chapel.
____________
Opinion: Fuller E. Callaway, Jr.
from: LaGrange Daily News, Friday, January 17, 1992, p. 4; (also published as Tributes to Life of Fuller Callaway in the Callaway Family Association Journal, Vol. 17, 1992, p. 49):
Standing in the center of LaGrange are two historical markers which in simplistic, but sincere brevity tell the unique story of this community's enduring love for the Callaway family.
It is appropriate that both are located in the heart of the city, for the heart sustains life, and life in this sense is LaGrange and Troup County. But more realistically, it also is the entire state of Georgia and the Southeastern United States.
On the southwest corner of Lafayette Square, the plaque on the marker reads, "Fuller Earle Callaway Sr. Organizing and operating textile mills, banks, warehouses, and department stores, Callaway helped modernize LaGrange's economy. Examples of his concern for the social and educational development of employees and residents can be found throughout LaGrange. When de died in 1928, Callaway was one of the world's leading textile executives."
A few steps away on the opposite side of the Square is another historical marker, on which the inscription reads: "In honor of Fuller E. Callaway Jr. in grateful appreciation of his many benevolences. Presented by the citizens of LaGrange and Troup County."
We mention both Fuller E. Callaway Sr. and Fuller E. Callaway Jr. here today because it is difficult to speak of one without recalling the other. Fuller Callaway Jr. had an unusually deep love for his father, and was never reluctant to tell the story of how he parlayed a five-cent investment into a financial empire that would eventually enhance the lives of literally thousand of people in his day, and millions thereafter.
Fuller E. Callaway Sr. truly was a man of unusual vision and talent. Yet, history demands that it be said that Fuller E. Callaway Jr. inherited his father's compassion for his fellow man and his compelling determination to make their lives better and more meaningful each day, each month, each year.
Working from the solid foundation created by his father, Fuller Callaway kept the vision and dream alive, and who among us cannot say that we are better today because of this man?
Few individuals can leave such a lifetime mark that will remain as a monument to their enormous contributions to so many.
The most difficult task of chronicling the history of Fuller E. Callaway's life is that anything which is written is woefully inadequate to describe this man's amazing generosity and his unrelenting resolve to leave everything he touche sin much better shape than he found it.
Consider this for a moment. Whether you are a newcomer to LaGrange or a native, your life has been touched by Mr. Callaway.
His philanthropy ranged from education to recreation, from health care to transportation, from historic preservation to training officers in law enforcement. And these are but a few of his many contributions.
When you dial Emergency 911, remember this was made possible by the Callaway Foundation. When you need medical attention, recall that it was Callaway funds which helped build the six-story tower at West Georgia Medical Center, as well as the renovation of the other existing hospital complex.
Look at the Georgia Heart Clinic, Enoch Callaway Caner Clinic, and Medical Park. Each was erected by the Foundation and then turned over [to] the Medical Center. Today, they provide a continuing source of revenue to support the hospital's various health care functions.
And with the facilities came funds to assure they would have the latest state-of-the-art equipment, along with the money necessary to attract those medical specialists capable of maximizing their use.
In short, because of a caring Foundation, an aging City-County Hospital grew into a regional medical complex that is rarely found in a community this size.
Fuller E. Callaway Jr. saw the need for a pool from which the Medical Center could draw qualified nurses on a continuing basis, and so he established the George E. Sims Nursing Scholarship. This educational venture was followed by a similar project, the Hattan Lovejoy Law Scholarship Fund.
Schools have gone up because of the vision of Fuller E. Callaway Jr., and countless churches have received matching fund for building projects. Visitors landing at Callaway Airport can thank the Callaway Foundation for the up-to-the-minute terminal and facilities.
On the LaGrange College campus are several buildings financed by the Callaway Foundation, including the Callaway Student Center, named in honor of Mr. Callaway's father, the Lamar Dodd Art Center, dedicated in the name of a boyhood friend, and Price Theater, Historic Smith Hall, built in 1842, has been restored to its present elegance and charm with Callaway funds.
When you visit the home of the Chattahoochee Valley Art Association, remember that building was originally constructed in 1792 as a county jail but today is a modern art galley and instructional facility because of the Callaway Foundation.
As you research history at the Troup county Archives Building on Main Street, don't forget that it once housed Citizens & Southern National Bank and was transformed into its present use with Callaway funds.
Enjoy all that Granger Park has to offer, the football and baseball fields, walk the 400-meter track and play on the tennis courts, then thank the Callaway Foundation which provided them all.
Executives of new and existing industries are grateful to the Foundation for transforming the old Wikit Building at West Georgia Tech into a Quick Start Center, where they can train employees while their manufacturing plants are under construction.
The list could go on and on, filling many more pages, but the message is clear. Fuller E. Callaway Jr. has been the guiding hand that transformed LaGrange and Troup County into the success they are today.
Each one of us has lost our most beloved friend. Yet, he is not gone. He has left a lifetime of monuments and memories. What else can be asked of a man?
_____________
Philanthropist F. E. Callaway Jr. Dies At Age 85
from: LaGrange Daily News," La Grange, Georgia, Thursday, January 16, 1992, p. 1:
Internationally known philanthropist Fuller Earle Calloway Jr., whose leadership guided Callaway Mills to prominence in the textile industry and whose generosity impacted the lives of generations of LaGrange citizens, died this morning at his home on Vernon Street.
He was 85.
Son of the late Fuller E. Callaway, founder of the Callaway Mills, and Mrs. Ida Cason Callaway, Mr. Callaway guided the textile company from 1927 until its purchase by Milliken and Company in 1968. He created the Callaway Foundation in 1943.
Mr. Callaway was a graduate of Georgia Tech and the Eastman School of Business in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
He received an honorary doctor of laws degree from LaGrange College, and an honorary doctor of humanities degree from Mercer University.
Recognized as one of ablest textile executives in the country, he held numerous leadership positions in the industry including President of the Georgia Textile Manufacturer's Association, board chairman of the American Textile Management Institute and Institute of Textile Technology; director, National Association of Manufacturers, fellow, Textile Institute of Manchester, England.
A 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason, he was a member of First Baptist Church, where he had served as chairman of the Board of Deacons. Mr. Callaway was awarded the Silver Beaver for service to Boy Scouts and received the Georgia Institute of Technology Alumni Distinguished Service Awar
He was a former president of LaGrange Rotary Club and Highland Country Club.
Survivors include his wife, the former Alice Hinman Hand of Pelham; one daughter, Mrs. Ida Hudson of LaGrange, five grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
He was the father of the late Fuller E. Callaway III.
Funeral arrangements will be announced by Striffler-Hamby Mortuary.
____________
Callaway: Man of Achievement, Personal Warmth
from: LaGrange Daily News," La Grange, Georgia, Friday, January 17, 1992, p. 1:
Everyone in LaGrange is familiar with Fuller E. Callaway, Jr., much-honored philanthropist and distinguished manufacturing leader.
But friends and colleagues say it is as a man of wit, charm and personal warmth that they will remember him best.
"I loved and respected him very much. He was deeply concerned about LaGrange and her people and evidences of that concern are all around," said Philip Cleaveland, former President of Callaway Mills.
Friends remember Mr. Callaway as a man of humor and a gifted storyteller with a sense of history and marvelous eye for detail.
He loved to talk of his famous father, Callaway Mills founder Fuller E. Callaway, quoting him as saying, "I make American citizens and run cotton mills to pay the expenses."
In 1969, Fuller Callaway Jr. told a University of Georgia Alumni magazine that his designation as an honorary UGA alumnus (He earned a degree in textile engineering at Georgia Tech) often had interesting ramifications.
"One day the computer blew a fuse or something and I was assigned to the Veterinary School and a specific graduating class. That was fine. I really enjoyed reading bout animal research and veterinary medicine."
Another tale told shortly after his marriage to Alice Hand in 1930:
"My wife was a Methodist. We were all Baptists. Her grandfather, her father and four of her five brothers wall went to Georgia. Shortly after we were married someone asked Mother, 'Ida, do you think Alice is going to join the Baptist Church?' Mother said, 'Yes, I think so, she's already cheering for Georgia Tech.'"
____________
LAGRANGE'S 'BEST FRIEND'
Tributes Pour In For Fuller E. Callaway Jr.
from: LaGrange Daily News," La Grange, Georgia, Friday, January 17, 1992, p. 1:
Family, friends, leaders - and legions of everyday citizens - remembered Fuller E. Callaway Jr. as a wonderfully gifted man whose generosity touched countless lives in ways too numerous to enumerate.
Mr. Callaway, whose leadership propelled LaGrange-based Callaway Mills to national and international prominence in the textile industry, died Thursday at this home, Hills and Dales, on Vernon Street. He was 85.
Funeral services will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church with Dr. Paul Baxter officiating. Entombment will follow in the family mausoleum in Hillview Cemetery.
Tributes poured in for Mr. Callaway, led by Gov. Zell Miller who said, "If you want to see Fuller Callaway's monument, just look around you. He did great things all over the state. Even though he's gone, his legacy will benefit the state for generations to come."
Roger Milliken, who purchased Callaway Mills in 1968, described Mr. Callaway as "one of the most extraordinary men I have ever known" and praised him as an innovator and man of amazing generosity.
"Such a man seldom comes along and all of those whose lives he has enriched and inspired - particularly mine - have lost a great friend."
Mr. Callaway's business career, including over 40 years at the helm of the company founded by his father, Fuller E. Callaway, and his remarkable record of philanthropy have earned him a place in history, Troup Archives director Kay Minchew said.
"History will remember Fuller E. Callaway Jr. as the head of Callaway Mills and the Callaway Foundation and as a man who had a tremendous impact on Roup County's history during most of the 20th Century. Mr. Callaway played a role in almost every major development in LaGrange during this period," she said.
The member of the Boards of Trustees of the Callaway Foundation and Fuller E. Callaway Foundation called his loss "irreplaceable."
"A remarkable man, Mr. Callaway's love of life was reflected in his service for others. He possessed many gifts and, with gratitude, we think of his willingness to share those gifts. Through the perpetuation of the religious, charitable and educational activities started by his father, he enhanced the lives of thousands of persons throughout Georgia and the nation," the Foundation statement said. Mr. Callaway studied textile engineering at Georgia Tech, graduating in 1926, and remained a loyal and generous benefactor of his alma mater throughout his life.
Dr. John Patrick Crecine, current President of Georgia Tech, termed Callaway's contributions to Georgia Tech "both massive and strategic."
Crecine said, "It is no accident that three Georgia Tech buildings bear the Callaway family name. He deserves much of the credit for making Georgia Tech a nationally renowned research institution. He was also the best friend of the Georgia Tech students, funding the Student Athletic Complex and, in partnership with the state, a just-completed Student Galleria complex. His assistance to higher education in Georgia, to Georgia economic development through Georgia Tech research and to the lives of generations of Georgia Tech students is a large and fitting legacy."
Mr. Callaway often said he inherited his love and respect for learning from his father - who left school at an early age but studied diligently all his life. Both personally and through the foundations he created, he supported the advancement of education in Georgia in legendary fashion.
In addition to major and repeated gifts to local public schools and LaGrange College and the support of scholarships to promising students, he has supported higher education to a degree virtually unprecedented across Georgia.
He was made an "Honorary alumnus" of the University of Georgia, a rare honor.
UGA President Charles B. Knapp said "Mr. Callaway and his family for years have been among the University's strongest supporters and greatest benefactors. His significant contributions through the Callaway Foundation Inc. to endowed professorships, to the administration and conservatory buildings at the state Botanical Garden, to the University's planned Performing and Visual Arts Center and to the Joint Tech-Georgia Development Fund, are indicative of his life long dedication to the betterment of educational opportunities for the young people of Georgia."
The 40 Fuller C. Callaway Professorial Chairs at 33 institutions were created in 1968 with a $10 million gift to Georgia Colleges and universities, producing at that time the largest private donation to education in the history of the state. A Callaway Chair was also established at Auburn.
Along with education, health care ranked as a priority in Mr. Callaway's distinguished record of philanthropy. :Nothing compares to what the Callaway Foundation has done for West Georgia Medical Center," hospital administrator Charles Foster said, citing the Heart Clinic, Cancer Clinic and Florence Hand Home as just three of many significant Callaway contributions to the local medical facilities.
"Certainly Fuller Callaway has had a tremendous influence on the health care that has been delivered, is currently being delivered and will be delivered in the future to the LaGrange community," Foster said.
At Scottish Rite Hospital in Atlanta, where a new state-of-the-art pediatric care center is named in honor of Alice and Fuller Callaway, officials recalled Mr. Callaway, a 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason, as one of their earliest and staunchest supporters.
"In the days when very few knew there was a Scottish Rite Children's Hospital, the Callaways bought, wrapped and furnished presents for children being treated at the hospital. One of the very first gifts to our endowment came from the Callaway family," board chairman Paul E. Manners said.
LaGrange Mayor Chris Joseph, who attended college on a Callaway Foundation scholarship, pointed out that, around LaGrange, virtually every landmark of cultural, educational, recreational or religious significance has benefited from Mr. Callaway's philosophy of enhancing the quality of life in his cherished hometown.
"We enjoy better schools, churches, parks and other facilities because Mr. Callaway continued his interest that LaGrange would have the very best," Joseph said.
Two current projects - the under-construction Recycling Center and a major landscaping effort at Hillview/Shadowlawn Cemetery, approved just this week by City Council, will continue Mr. Callaway's influence for years to come, the Mayor said.
The Chattachoochee Valley Art Museum, Troup County Archives, Callaway Education Association, LaGrange/Callaway Airport, Bellevue and buildings across the campus of LaGrange College are among the local landmarks which have benefited from Callaway generosity.
"Mr. Callaway was devoted to his church and practiced generous philanthropy which has touched this city in a thousand places, improving its churches, its educational institutions, its health care facilities, its humanitarian service agencies and charities," LaGrange College President Dr. Walter Murphy said.
Churches large and small have utilized the Foundation's matching grants to construct or expand facilities. Mr. Callaway's pastor, Dr. Paul Baxter of First Baptist Church, observes that "Every time I go in our Christian Family Life Center, I realize we have a building based not just on vision and generosity of church members, but also vision and generosity of the Foundation he was so very much a part of."
Dr. Baxter recalled a conversation in which his father had taught him very early about the importance of sharing with others.
"He certainly learned how to share and above all to serve God. He took his father's lesson to heart," Dr. Baxter said.
Mr. Callaway was married on August 6, 1930 to the former Alice Hinman Hand of Pelham.
In addition to Mrs. Callaway, he is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Charles D. Hudson of LaGrange, five grandchildren, Mrs. Steve Craig, Mark C. Callaway, Ellen P. Hudson, Charles D. Hudson Jr., and Mrs. Hank Hughes, all of LaGrange and 12 great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are by Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, LaGrange Chapel.
____________
Opinion: Fuller E. Callaway, Jr.
from: LaGrange Daily News, Friday, January 17, 1992, p. 4; (also published as Tributes to Life of Fuller Callaway in the Callaway Family Association Journal, Vol. 17, 1992, p. 49):
Standing in the center of LaGrange are two historical markers which in simplistic, but sincere brevity tell the unique story of this community's enduring love for the Callaway family.
It is appropriate that both are located in the heart of the city, for the heart sustains life, and life in this sense is LaGrange and Troup County. But more realistically, it also is the entire state of Georgia and the Southeastern United States.
On the southwest corner of Lafayette Square, the plaque on the marker reads, "Fuller Earle Callaway Sr. Organizing and operating textile mills, banks, warehouses, and department stores, Callaway helped modernize LaGrange's economy. Examples of his concern for the social and educational development of employees and residents can be found throughout LaGrange. When de died in 1928, Callaway was one of the world's leading textile executives."
A few steps away on the opposite side of the Square is another historical marker, on which the inscription reads: "In honor of Fuller E. Callaway Jr. in grateful appreciation of his many benevolences. Presented by the citizens of LaGrange and Troup County."
We mention both Fuller E. Callaway Sr. and Fuller E. Callaway Jr. here today because it is difficult to speak of one without recalling the other. Fuller Callaway Jr. had an unusually deep love for his father, and was never reluctant to tell the story of how he parlayed a five-cent investment into a financial empire that would eventually enhance the lives of literally thousand of people in his day, and millions thereafter.
Fuller E. Callaway Sr. truly was a man of unusual vision and talent. Yet, history demands that it be said that Fuller E. Callaway Jr. inherited his father's compassion for his fellow man and his compelling determination to make their lives better and more meaningful each day, each month, each year.
Working from the solid foundation created by his father, Fuller Callaway kept the vision and dream alive, and who among us cannot say that we are better today because of this man?
Few individuals can leave such a lifetime mark that will remain as a monument to their enormous contributions to so many.
The most difficult task of chronicling the history of Fuller E. Callaway's life is that anything which is written is woefully inadequate to describe this man's amazing generosity and his unrelenting resolve to leave everything he touche sin much better shape than he found it.
Consider this for a moment. Whether you are a newcomer to LaGrange or a native, your life has been touched by Mr. Callaway.
His philanthropy ranged from education to recreation, from health care to transportation, from historic preservation to training officers in law enforcement. And these are but a few of his many contributions.
When you dial Emergency 911, remember this was made possible by the Callaway Foundation. When you need medical attention, recall that it was Callaway funds which helped build the six-story tower at West Georgia Medical Center, as well as the renovation of the other existing hospital complex.
Look at the Georgia Heart Clinic, Enoch Callaway Caner Clinic, and Medical Park. Each was erected by the Foundation and then turned over [to] the Medical Center. Today, they provide a continuing source of revenue to support the hospital's various health care functions.
And with the facilities came funds to assure they would have the latest state-of-the-art equipment, along with the money necessary to attract those medical specialists capable of maximizing their use.
In short, because of a caring Foundation, an aging City-County Hospital grew into a regional medical complex that is rarely found in a community this size.
Fuller E. Callaway Jr. saw the need for a pool from which the Medical Center could draw qualified nurses on a continuing basis, and so he established the George E. Sims Nursing Scholarship. This educational venture was followed by a similar project, the Hattan Lovejoy Law Scholarship Fund.
Schools have gone up because of the vision of Fuller E. Callaway Jr., and countless churches have received matching fund for building projects. Visitors landing at Callaway Airport can thank the Callaway Foundation for the up-to-the-minute terminal and facilities.
On the LaGrange College campus are several buildings financed by the Callaway Foundation, including the Callaway Student Center, named in honor of Mr. Callaway's father, the Lamar Dodd Art Center, dedicated in the name of a boyhood friend, and Price Theater, Historic Smith Hall, built in 1842, has been restored to its present elegance and charm with Callaway funds.
When you visit the home of the Chattahoochee Valley Art Association, remember that building was originally constructed in 1792 as a county jail but today is a modern art galley and instructional facility because of the Callaway Foundation.
As you research history at the Troup county Archives Building on Main Street, don't forget that it once housed Citizens & Southern National Bank and was transformed into its present use with Callaway funds.
Enjoy all that Granger Park has to offer, the football and baseball fields, walk the 400-meter track and play on the tennis courts, then thank the Callaway Foundation which provided them all.
Executives of new and existing industries are grateful to the Foundation for transforming the old Wikit Building at West Georgia Tech into a Quick Start Center, where they can train employees while their manufacturing plants are under construction.
The list could go on and on, filling many more pages, but the message is clear. Fuller E. Callaway Jr. has been the guiding hand that transformed LaGrange and Troup County into the success they are today.
Each one of us has lost our most beloved friend. Yet, he is not gone. He has left a lifetime of monuments and memories. What else can be asked of a man?
Textile Manufacturer and Philanthropist. Son of textile manufacturer, Fuller Earle Callaway and Ida (nee Cason) Callaway, he served Callaway Mills from 1927 until its purchase by Milliken and Company in 1968 as director, treasurer, president and executive chairman. He served as treasurer of Valley Waste Mills, Tuline, Valway Rug Mills, Rockweave, Oakleaf Mills, Unite Cotton Mills, Hillside Cotton Mills, Elm City Cotton Mills, Manchester Cotton Mills, Milstead Manufacturing Company, Calumet Company, Calumet Cotton Mills and was director and treasurer of Wadle Development Company. He served as treasurer, president and board chairman of the Milstead Railroad Company; treasurer, trustee and board chairman of the Textile Benefit Association. He was trustee, president and board chairman of Callaway Institute; trustee and board chairman of Callaway Educational Association; trustee, president, secretary and treasurer of Fuller E. Callaway Foundation; director of Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in Hartford and New Britain, Connecticut; director and treasurer of Fuller E. Callaway Company; Director of LaGrange National Bank and LaGrange Savings Bank; director of Habersham Mills; trustee of Habersham Mills Foundation, Inc.; director, president and board chairman of International Leasing Corporation and director, president and board chairman of International Products and Services, Inc. Originally buried at Hillview Cemetery in La Grange, Georgia, he was re-interred in the Callaway Family Cemetery on the grounds of "Hills and Dales" estate in La Grange.
_____________
Philanthropist F. E. Callaway Jr. Dies At Age 85
from: LaGrange Daily News," La Grange, Georgia, Thursday, January 16, 1992, p. 1:
Internationally known philanthropist Fuller Earle Calloway Jr., whose leadership guided Callaway Mills to prominence in the textile industry and whose generosity impacted the lives of generations of LaGrange citizens, died this morning at his home on Vernon Street.
He was 85.
Son of the late Fuller E. Callaway, founder of the Callaway Mills, and Mrs. Ida Cason Callaway, Mr. Callaway guided the textile company from 1927 until its purchase by Milliken and Company in 1968. He created the Callaway Foundation in 1943.
Mr. Callaway was a graduate of Georgia Tech and the Eastman School of Business in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
He received an honorary doctor of laws degree from LaGrange College, and an honorary doctor of humanities degree from Mercer University.
Recognized as one of ablest textile executives in the country, he held numerous leadership positions in the industry including President of the Georgia Textile Manufacturer's Association, board chairman of the American Textile Management Institute and Institute of Textile Technology; director, National Association of Manufacturers, fellow, Textile Institute of Manchester, England.
A 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason, he was a member of First Baptist Church, where he had served as chairman of the Board of Deacons. Mr. Callaway was awarded the Silver Beaver for service to Boy Scouts and received the Georgia Institute of Technology Alumni Distinguished Service Awar
He was a former president of LaGrange Rotary Club and Highland Country Club.
Survivors include his wife, the former Alice Hinman Hand of Pelham; one daughter, Mrs. Ida Hudson of LaGrange, five grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
He was the father of the late Fuller E. Callaway III.
Funeral arrangements will be announced by Striffler-Hamby Mortuary.
____________
Callaway: Man of Achievement, Personal Warmth
from: LaGrange Daily News," La Grange, Georgia, Friday, January 17, 1992, p. 1:
Everyone in LaGrange is familiar with Fuller E. Callaway, Jr., much-honored philanthropist and distinguished manufacturing leader.
But friends and colleagues say it is as a man of wit, charm and personal warmth that they will remember him best.
"I loved and respected him very much. He was deeply concerned about LaGrange and her people and evidences of that concern are all around," said Philip Cleaveland, former President of Callaway Mills.
Friends remember Mr. Callaway as a man of humor and a gifted storyteller with a sense of history and marvelous eye for detail.
He loved to talk of his famous father, Callaway Mills founder Fuller E. Callaway, quoting him as saying, "I make American citizens and run cotton mills to pay the expenses."
In 1969, Fuller Callaway Jr. told a University of Georgia Alumni magazine that his designation as an honorary UGA alumnus (He earned a degree in textile engineering at Georgia Tech) often had interesting ramifications.
"One day the computer blew a fuse or something and I was assigned to the Veterinary School and a specific graduating class. That was fine. I really enjoyed reading bout animal research and veterinary medicine."
Another tale told shortly after his marriage to Alice Hand in 1930:
"My wife was a Methodist. We were all Baptists. Her grandfather, her father and four of her five brothers wall went to Georgia. Shortly after we were married someone asked Mother, 'Ida, do you think Alice is going to join the Baptist Church?' Mother said, 'Yes, I think so, she's already cheering for Georgia Tech.'"
____________
LAGRANGE'S 'BEST FRIEND'
Tributes Pour In For Fuller E. Callaway Jr.
from: LaGrange Daily News," La Grange, Georgia, Friday, January 17, 1992, p. 1:
Family, friends, leaders - and legions of everyday citizens - remembered Fuller E. Callaway Jr. as a wonderfully gifted man whose generosity touched countless lives in ways too numerous to enumerate.
Mr. Callaway, whose leadership propelled LaGrange-based Callaway Mills to national and international prominence in the textile industry, died Thursday at this home, Hills and Dales, on Vernon Street. He was 85.
Funeral services will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church with Dr. Paul Baxter officiating. Entombment will follow in the family mausoleum in Hillview Cemetery.
Tributes poured in for Mr. Callaway, led by Gov. Zell Miller who said, "If you want to see Fuller Callaway's monument, just look around you. He did great things all over the state. Even though he's gone, his legacy will benefit the state for generations to come."
Roger Milliken, who purchased Callaway Mills in 1968, described Mr. Callaway as "one of the most extraordinary men I have ever known" and praised him as an innovator and man of amazing generosity.
"Such a man seldom comes along and all of those whose lives he has enriched and inspired - particularly mine - have lost a great friend."
Mr. Callaway's business career, including over 40 years at the helm of the company founded by his father, Fuller E. Callaway, and his remarkable record of philanthropy have earned him a place in history, Troup Archives director Kay Minchew said.
"History will remember Fuller E. Callaway Jr. as the head of Callaway Mills and the Callaway Foundation and as a man who had a tremendous impact on Roup County's history during most of the 20th Century. Mr. Callaway played a role in almost every major development in LaGrange during this period," she said.
The member of the Boards of Trustees of the Callaway Foundation and Fuller E. Callaway Foundation called his loss "irreplaceable."
"A remarkable man, Mr. Callaway's love of life was reflected in his service for others. He possessed many gifts and, with gratitude, we think of his willingness to share those gifts. Through the perpetuation of the religious, charitable and educational activities started by his father, he enhanced the lives of thousands of persons throughout Georgia and the nation," the Foundation statement said. Mr. Callaway studied textile engineering at Georgia Tech, graduating in 1926, and remained a loyal and generous benefactor of his alma mater throughout his life.
Dr. John Patrick Crecine, current President of Georgia Tech, termed Callaway's contributions to Georgia Tech "both massive and strategic."
Crecine said, "It is no accident that three Georgia Tech buildings bear the Callaway family name. He deserves much of the credit for making Georgia Tech a nationally renowned research institution. He was also the best friend of the Georgia Tech students, funding the Student Athletic Complex and, in partnership with the state, a just-completed Student Galleria complex. His assistance to higher education in Georgia, to Georgia economic development through Georgia Tech research and to the lives of generations of Georgia Tech students is a large and fitting legacy."
Mr. Callaway often said he inherited his love and respect for learning from his father - who left school at an early age but studied diligently all his life. Both personally and through the foundations he created, he supported the advancement of education in Georgia in legendary fashion.
In addition to major and repeated gifts to local public schools and LaGrange College and the support of scholarships to promising students, he has supported higher education to a degree virtually unprecedented across Georgia.
He was made an "Honorary alumnus" of the University of Georgia, a rare honor.
UGA President Charles B. Knapp said "Mr. Callaway and his family for years have been among the University's strongest supporters and greatest benefactors. His significant contributions through the Callaway Foundation Inc. to endowed professorships, to the administration and conservatory buildings at the state Botanical Garden, to the University's planned Performing and Visual Arts Center and to the Joint Tech-Georgia Development Fund, are indicative of his life long dedication to the betterment of educational opportunities for the young people of Georgia."
The 40 Fuller C. Callaway Professorial Chairs at 33 institutions were created in 1968 with a $10 million gift to Georgia Colleges and universities, producing at that time the largest private donation to education in the history of the state. A Callaway Chair was also established at Auburn.
Along with education, health care ranked as a priority in Mr. Callaway's distinguished record of philanthropy. :Nothing compares to what the Callaway Foundation has done for West Georgia Medical Center," hospital administrator Charles Foster said, citing the Heart Clinic, Cancer Clinic and Florence Hand Home as just three of many significant Callaway contributions to the local medical facilities.
"Certainly Fuller Callaway has had a tremendous influence on the health care that has been delivered, is currently being delivered and will be delivered in the future to the LaGrange community," Foster said.
At Scottish Rite Hospital in Atlanta, where a new state-of-the-art pediatric care center is named in honor of Alice and Fuller Callaway, officials recalled Mr. Callaway, a 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason, as one of their earliest and staunchest supporters.
"In the days when very few knew there was a Scottish Rite Children's Hospital, the Callaways bought, wrapped and furnished presents for children being treated at the hospital. One of the very first gifts to our endowment came from the Callaway family," board chairman Paul E. Manners said.
LaGrange Mayor Chris Joseph, who attended college on a Callaway Foundation scholarship, pointed out that, around LaGrange, virtually every landmark of cultural, educational, recreational or religious significance has benefited from Mr. Callaway's philosophy of enhancing the quality of life in his cherished hometown.
"We enjoy better schools, churches, parks and other facilities because Mr. Callaway continued his interest that LaGrange would have the very best," Joseph said.
Two current projects - the under-construction Recycling Center and a major landscaping effort at Hillview/Shadowlawn Cemetery, approved just this week by City Council, will continue Mr. Callaway's influence for years to come, the Mayor said.
The Chattachoochee Valley Art Museum, Troup County Archives, Callaway Education Association, LaGrange/Callaway Airport, Bellevue and buildings across the campus of LaGrange College are among the local landmarks which have benefited from Callaway generosity.
"Mr. Callaway was devoted to his church and practiced generous philanthropy which has touched this city in a thousand places, improving its churches, its educational institutions, its health care facilities, its humanitarian service agencies and charities," LaGrange College President Dr. Walter Murphy said.
Churches large and small have utilized the Foundation's matching grants to construct or expand facilities. Mr. Callaway's pastor, Dr. Paul Baxter of First Baptist Church, observes that "Every time I go in our Christian Family Life Center, I realize we have a building based not just on vision and generosity of church members, but also vision and generosity of the Foundation he was so very much a part of."
Dr. Baxter recalled a conversation in which his father had taught him very early about the importance of sharing with others.
"He certainly learned how to share and above all to serve God. He took his father's lesson to heart," Dr. Baxter said.
Mr. Callaway was married on August 6, 1930 to the former Alice Hinman Hand of Pelham.
In addition to Mrs. Callaway, he is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Charles D. Hudson of LaGrange, five grandchildren, Mrs. Steve Craig, Mark C. Callaway, Ellen P. Hudson, Charles D. Hudson Jr., and Mrs. Hank Hughes, all of LaGrange and 12 great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are by Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, LaGrange Chapel.
____________
Opinion: Fuller E. Callaway, Jr.
from: LaGrange Daily News, Friday, January 17, 1992, p. 4; (also published as Tributes to Life of Fuller Callaway in the Callaway Family Association Journal, Vol. 17, 1992, p. 49):
Standing in the center of LaGrange are two historical markers which in simplistic, but sincere brevity tell the unique story of this community's enduring love for the Callaway family.
It is appropriate that both are located in the heart of the city, for the heart sustains life, and life in this sense is LaGrange and Troup County. But more realistically, it also is the entire state of Georgia and the Southeastern United States.
On the southwest corner of Lafayette Square, the plaque on the marker reads, "Fuller Earle Callaway Sr. Organizing and operating textile mills, banks, warehouses, and department stores, Callaway helped modernize LaGrange's economy. Examples of his concern for the social and educational development of employees and residents can be found throughout LaGrange. When de died in 1928, Callaway was one of the world's leading textile executives."
A few steps away on the opposite side of the Square is another historical marker, on which the inscription reads: "In honor of Fuller E. Callaway Jr. in grateful appreciation of his many benevolences. Presented by the citizens of LaGrange and Troup County."
We mention both Fuller E. Callaway Sr. and Fuller E. Callaway Jr. here today because it is difficult to speak of one without recalling the other. Fuller Callaway Jr. had an unusually deep love for his father, and was never reluctant to tell the story of how he parlayed a five-cent investment into a financial empire that would eventually enhance the lives of literally thousand of people in his day, and millions thereafter.
Fuller E. Callaway Sr. truly was a man of unusual vision and talent. Yet, history demands that it be said that Fuller E. Callaway Jr. inherited his father's compassion for his fellow man and his compelling determination to make their lives better and more meaningful each day, each month, each year.
Working from the solid foundation created by his father, Fuller Callaway kept the vision and dream alive, and who among us cannot say that we are better today because of this man?
Few individuals can leave such a lifetime mark that will remain as a monument to their enormous contributions to so many.
The most difficult task of chronicling the history of Fuller E. Callaway's life is that anything which is written is woefully inadequate to describe this man's amazing generosity and his unrelenting resolve to leave everything he touche sin much better shape than he found it.
Consider this for a moment. Whether you are a newcomer to LaGrange or a native, your life has been touched by Mr. Callaway.
His philanthropy ranged from education to recreation, from health care to transportation, from historic preservation to training officers in law enforcement. And these are but a few of his many contributions.
When you dial Emergency 911, remember this was made possible by the Callaway Foundation. When you need medical attention, recall that it was Callaway funds which helped build the six-story tower at West Georgia Medical Center, as well as the renovation of the other existing hospital complex.
Look at the Georgia Heart Clinic, Enoch Callaway Caner Clinic, and Medical Park. Each was erected by the Foundation and then turned over [to] the Medical Center. Today, they provide a continuing source of revenue to support the hospital's various health care functions.
And with the facilities came funds to assure they would have the latest state-of-the-art equipment, along with the money necessary to attract those medical specialists capable of maximizing their use.
In short, because of a caring Foundation, an aging City-County Hospital grew into a regional medical complex that is rarely found in a community this size.
Fuller E. Callaway Jr. saw the need for a pool from which the Medical Center could draw qualified nurses on a continuing basis, and so he established the George E. Sims Nursing Scholarship. This educational venture was followed by a similar project, the Hattan Lovejoy Law Scholarship Fund.
Schools have gone up because of the vision of Fuller E. Callaway Jr., and countless churches have received matching fund for building projects. Visitors landing at Callaway Airport can thank the Callaway Foundation for the up-to-the-minute terminal and facilities.
On the LaGrange College campus are several buildings financed by the Callaway Foundation, including the Callaway Student Center, named in honor of Mr. Callaway's father, the Lamar Dodd Art Center, dedicated in the name of a boyhood friend, and Price Theater, Historic Smith Hall, built in 1842, has been restored to its present elegance and charm with Callaway funds.
When you visit the home of the Chattahoochee Valley Art Association, remember that building was originally constructed in 1792 as a county jail but today is a modern art galley and instructional facility because of the Callaway Foundation.
As you research history at the Troup county Archives Building on Main Street, don't forget that it once housed Citizens & Southern National Bank and was transformed into its present use with Callaway funds.
Enjoy all that Granger Park has to offer, the football and baseball fields, walk the 400-meter track and play on the tennis courts, then thank the Callaway Foundation which provided them all.
Executives of new and existing industries are grateful to the Foundation for transforming the old Wikit Building at West Georgia Tech into a Quick Start Center, where they can train employees while their manufacturing plants are under construction.
The list could go on and on, filling many more pages, but the message is clear. Fuller E. Callaway Jr. has been the guiding hand that transformed LaGrange and Troup County into the success they are today.
Each one of us has lost our most beloved friend. Yet, he is not gone. He has left a lifetime of monuments and memories. What else can be asked of a man?
_____________
Philanthropist F. E. Callaway Jr. Dies At Age 85
from: LaGrange Daily News," La Grange, Georgia, Thursday, January 16, 1992, p. 1:
Internationally known philanthropist Fuller Earle Calloway Jr., whose leadership guided Callaway Mills to prominence in the textile industry and whose generosity impacted the lives of generations of LaGrange citizens, died this morning at his home on Vernon Street.
He was 85.
Son of the late Fuller E. Callaway, founder of the Callaway Mills, and Mrs. Ida Cason Callaway, Mr. Callaway guided the textile company from 1927 until its purchase by Milliken and Company in 1968. He created the Callaway Foundation in 1943.
Mr. Callaway was a graduate of Georgia Tech and the Eastman School of Business in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
He received an honorary doctor of laws degree from LaGrange College, and an honorary doctor of humanities degree from Mercer University.
Recognized as one of ablest textile executives in the country, he held numerous leadership positions in the industry including President of the Georgia Textile Manufacturer's Association, board chairman of the American Textile Management Institute and Institute of Textile Technology; director, National Association of Manufacturers, fellow, Textile Institute of Manchester, England.
A 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason, he was a member of First Baptist Church, where he had served as chairman of the Board of Deacons. Mr. Callaway was awarded the Silver Beaver for service to Boy Scouts and received the Georgia Institute of Technology Alumni Distinguished Service Awar
He was a former president of LaGrange Rotary Club and Highland Country Club.
Survivors include his wife, the former Alice Hinman Hand of Pelham; one daughter, Mrs. Ida Hudson of LaGrange, five grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
He was the father of the late Fuller E. Callaway III.
Funeral arrangements will be announced by Striffler-Hamby Mortuary.
____________
Callaway: Man of Achievement, Personal Warmth
from: LaGrange Daily News," La Grange, Georgia, Friday, January 17, 1992, p. 1:
Everyone in LaGrange is familiar with Fuller E. Callaway, Jr., much-honored philanthropist and distinguished manufacturing leader.
But friends and colleagues say it is as a man of wit, charm and personal warmth that they will remember him best.
"I loved and respected him very much. He was deeply concerned about LaGrange and her people and evidences of that concern are all around," said Philip Cleaveland, former President of Callaway Mills.
Friends remember Mr. Callaway as a man of humor and a gifted storyteller with a sense of history and marvelous eye for detail.
He loved to talk of his famous father, Callaway Mills founder Fuller E. Callaway, quoting him as saying, "I make American citizens and run cotton mills to pay the expenses."
In 1969, Fuller Callaway Jr. told a University of Georgia Alumni magazine that his designation as an honorary UGA alumnus (He earned a degree in textile engineering at Georgia Tech) often had interesting ramifications.
"One day the computer blew a fuse or something and I was assigned to the Veterinary School and a specific graduating class. That was fine. I really enjoyed reading bout animal research and veterinary medicine."
Another tale told shortly after his marriage to Alice Hand in 1930:
"My wife was a Methodist. We were all Baptists. Her grandfather, her father and four of her five brothers wall went to Georgia. Shortly after we were married someone asked Mother, 'Ida, do you think Alice is going to join the Baptist Church?' Mother said, 'Yes, I think so, she's already cheering for Georgia Tech.'"
____________
LAGRANGE'S 'BEST FRIEND'
Tributes Pour In For Fuller E. Callaway Jr.
from: LaGrange Daily News," La Grange, Georgia, Friday, January 17, 1992, p. 1:
Family, friends, leaders - and legions of everyday citizens - remembered Fuller E. Callaway Jr. as a wonderfully gifted man whose generosity touched countless lives in ways too numerous to enumerate.
Mr. Callaway, whose leadership propelled LaGrange-based Callaway Mills to national and international prominence in the textile industry, died Thursday at this home, Hills and Dales, on Vernon Street. He was 85.
Funeral services will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church with Dr. Paul Baxter officiating. Entombment will follow in the family mausoleum in Hillview Cemetery.
Tributes poured in for Mr. Callaway, led by Gov. Zell Miller who said, "If you want to see Fuller Callaway's monument, just look around you. He did great things all over the state. Even though he's gone, his legacy will benefit the state for generations to come."
Roger Milliken, who purchased Callaway Mills in 1968, described Mr. Callaway as "one of the most extraordinary men I have ever known" and praised him as an innovator and man of amazing generosity.
"Such a man seldom comes along and all of those whose lives he has enriched and inspired - particularly mine - have lost a great friend."
Mr. Callaway's business career, including over 40 years at the helm of the company founded by his father, Fuller E. Callaway, and his remarkable record of philanthropy have earned him a place in history, Troup Archives director Kay Minchew said.
"History will remember Fuller E. Callaway Jr. as the head of Callaway Mills and the Callaway Foundation and as a man who had a tremendous impact on Roup County's history during most of the 20th Century. Mr. Callaway played a role in almost every major development in LaGrange during this period," she said.
The member of the Boards of Trustees of the Callaway Foundation and Fuller E. Callaway Foundation called his loss "irreplaceable."
"A remarkable man, Mr. Callaway's love of life was reflected in his service for others. He possessed many gifts and, with gratitude, we think of his willingness to share those gifts. Through the perpetuation of the religious, charitable and educational activities started by his father, he enhanced the lives of thousands of persons throughout Georgia and the nation," the Foundation statement said. Mr. Callaway studied textile engineering at Georgia Tech, graduating in 1926, and remained a loyal and generous benefactor of his alma mater throughout his life.
Dr. John Patrick Crecine, current President of Georgia Tech, termed Callaway's contributions to Georgia Tech "both massive and strategic."
Crecine said, "It is no accident that three Georgia Tech buildings bear the Callaway family name. He deserves much of the credit for making Georgia Tech a nationally renowned research institution. He was also the best friend of the Georgia Tech students, funding the Student Athletic Complex and, in partnership with the state, a just-completed Student Galleria complex. His assistance to higher education in Georgia, to Georgia economic development through Georgia Tech research and to the lives of generations of Georgia Tech students is a large and fitting legacy."
Mr. Callaway often said he inherited his love and respect for learning from his father - who left school at an early age but studied diligently all his life. Both personally and through the foundations he created, he supported the advancement of education in Georgia in legendary fashion.
In addition to major and repeated gifts to local public schools and LaGrange College and the support of scholarships to promising students, he has supported higher education to a degree virtually unprecedented across Georgia.
He was made an "Honorary alumnus" of the University of Georgia, a rare honor.
UGA President Charles B. Knapp said "Mr. Callaway and his family for years have been among the University's strongest supporters and greatest benefactors. His significant contributions through the Callaway Foundation Inc. to endowed professorships, to the administration and conservatory buildings at the state Botanical Garden, to the University's planned Performing and Visual Arts Center and to the Joint Tech-Georgia Development Fund, are indicative of his life long dedication to the betterment of educational opportunities for the young people of Georgia."
The 40 Fuller C. Callaway Professorial Chairs at 33 institutions were created in 1968 with a $10 million gift to Georgia Colleges and universities, producing at that time the largest private donation to education in the history of the state. A Callaway Chair was also established at Auburn.
Along with education, health care ranked as a priority in Mr. Callaway's distinguished record of philanthropy. :Nothing compares to what the Callaway Foundation has done for West Georgia Medical Center," hospital administrator Charles Foster said, citing the Heart Clinic, Cancer Clinic and Florence Hand Home as just three of many significant Callaway contributions to the local medical facilities.
"Certainly Fuller Callaway has had a tremendous influence on the health care that has been delivered, is currently being delivered and will be delivered in the future to the LaGrange community," Foster said.
At Scottish Rite Hospital in Atlanta, where a new state-of-the-art pediatric care center is named in honor of Alice and Fuller Callaway, officials recalled Mr. Callaway, a 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason, as one of their earliest and staunchest supporters.
"In the days when very few knew there was a Scottish Rite Children's Hospital, the Callaways bought, wrapped and furnished presents for children being treated at the hospital. One of the very first gifts to our endowment came from the Callaway family," board chairman Paul E. Manners said.
LaGrange Mayor Chris Joseph, who attended college on a Callaway Foundation scholarship, pointed out that, around LaGrange, virtually every landmark of cultural, educational, recreational or religious significance has benefited from Mr. Callaway's philosophy of enhancing the quality of life in his cherished hometown.
"We enjoy better schools, churches, parks and other facilities because Mr. Callaway continued his interest that LaGrange would have the very best," Joseph said.
Two current projects - the under-construction Recycling Center and a major landscaping effort at Hillview/Shadowlawn Cemetery, approved just this week by City Council, will continue Mr. Callaway's influence for years to come, the Mayor said.
The Chattachoochee Valley Art Museum, Troup County Archives, Callaway Education Association, LaGrange/Callaway Airport, Bellevue and buildings across the campus of LaGrange College are among the local landmarks which have benefited from Callaway generosity.
"Mr. Callaway was devoted to his church and practiced generous philanthropy which has touched this city in a thousand places, improving its churches, its educational institutions, its health care facilities, its humanitarian service agencies and charities," LaGrange College President Dr. Walter Murphy said.
Churches large and small have utilized the Foundation's matching grants to construct or expand facilities. Mr. Callaway's pastor, Dr. Paul Baxter of First Baptist Church, observes that "Every time I go in our Christian Family Life Center, I realize we have a building based not just on vision and generosity of church members, but also vision and generosity of the Foundation he was so very much a part of."
Dr. Baxter recalled a conversation in which his father had taught him very early about the importance of sharing with others.
"He certainly learned how to share and above all to serve God. He took his father's lesson to heart," Dr. Baxter said.
Mr. Callaway was married on August 6, 1930 to the former Alice Hinman Hand of Pelham.
In addition to Mrs. Callaway, he is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Charles D. Hudson of LaGrange, five grandchildren, Mrs. Steve Craig, Mark C. Callaway, Ellen P. Hudson, Charles D. Hudson Jr., and Mrs. Hank Hughes, all of LaGrange and 12 great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are by Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, LaGrange Chapel.
____________
Opinion: Fuller E. Callaway, Jr.
from: LaGrange Daily News, Friday, January 17, 1992, p. 4; (also published as Tributes to Life of Fuller Callaway in the Callaway Family Association Journal, Vol. 17, 1992, p. 49):
Standing in the center of LaGrange are two historical markers which in simplistic, but sincere brevity tell the unique story of this community's enduring love for the Callaway family.
It is appropriate that both are located in the heart of the city, for the heart sustains life, and life in this sense is LaGrange and Troup County. But more realistically, it also is the entire state of Georgia and the Southeastern United States.
On the southwest corner of Lafayette Square, the plaque on the marker reads, "Fuller Earle Callaway Sr. Organizing and operating textile mills, banks, warehouses, and department stores, Callaway helped modernize LaGrange's economy. Examples of his concern for the social and educational development of employees and residents can be found throughout LaGrange. When de died in 1928, Callaway was one of the world's leading textile executives."
A few steps away on the opposite side of the Square is another historical marker, on which the inscription reads: "In honor of Fuller E. Callaway Jr. in grateful appreciation of his many benevolences. Presented by the citizens of LaGrange and Troup County."
We mention both Fuller E. Callaway Sr. and Fuller E. Callaway Jr. here today because it is difficult to speak of one without recalling the other. Fuller Callaway Jr. had an unusually deep love for his father, and was never reluctant to tell the story of how he parlayed a five-cent investment into a financial empire that would eventually enhance the lives of literally thousand of people in his day, and millions thereafter.
Fuller E. Callaway Sr. truly was a man of unusual vision and talent. Yet, history demands that it be said that Fuller E. Callaway Jr. inherited his father's compassion for his fellow man and his compelling determination to make their lives better and more meaningful each day, each month, each year.
Working from the solid foundation created by his father, Fuller Callaway kept the vision and dream alive, and who among us cannot say that we are better today because of this man?
Few individuals can leave such a lifetime mark that will remain as a monument to their enormous contributions to so many.
The most difficult task of chronicling the history of Fuller E. Callaway's life is that anything which is written is woefully inadequate to describe this man's amazing generosity and his unrelenting resolve to leave everything he touche sin much better shape than he found it.
Consider this for a moment. Whether you are a newcomer to LaGrange or a native, your life has been touched by Mr. Callaway.
His philanthropy ranged from education to recreation, from health care to transportation, from historic preservation to training officers in law enforcement. And these are but a few of his many contributions.
When you dial Emergency 911, remember this was made possible by the Callaway Foundation. When you need medical attention, recall that it was Callaway funds which helped build the six-story tower at West Georgia Medical Center, as well as the renovation of the other existing hospital complex.
Look at the Georgia Heart Clinic, Enoch Callaway Caner Clinic, and Medical Park. Each was erected by the Foundation and then turned over [to] the Medical Center. Today, they provide a continuing source of revenue to support the hospital's various health care functions.
And with the facilities came funds to assure they would have the latest state-of-the-art equipment, along with the money necessary to attract those medical specialists capable of maximizing their use.
In short, because of a caring Foundation, an aging City-County Hospital grew into a regional medical complex that is rarely found in a community this size.
Fuller E. Callaway Jr. saw the need for a pool from which the Medical Center could draw qualified nurses on a continuing basis, and so he established the George E. Sims Nursing Scholarship. This educational venture was followed by a similar project, the Hattan Lovejoy Law Scholarship Fund.
Schools have gone up because of the vision of Fuller E. Callaway Jr., and countless churches have received matching fund for building projects. Visitors landing at Callaway Airport can thank the Callaway Foundation for the up-to-the-minute terminal and facilities.
On the LaGrange College campus are several buildings financed by the Callaway Foundation, including the Callaway Student Center, named in honor of Mr. Callaway's father, the Lamar Dodd Art Center, dedicated in the name of a boyhood friend, and Price Theater, Historic Smith Hall, built in 1842, has been restored to its present elegance and charm with Callaway funds.
When you visit the home of the Chattahoochee Valley Art Association, remember that building was originally constructed in 1792 as a county jail but today is a modern art galley and instructional facility because of the Callaway Foundation.
As you research history at the Troup county Archives Building on Main Street, don't forget that it once housed Citizens & Southern National Bank and was transformed into its present use with Callaway funds.
Enjoy all that Granger Park has to offer, the football and baseball fields, walk the 400-meter track and play on the tennis courts, then thank the Callaway Foundation which provided them all.
Executives of new and existing industries are grateful to the Foundation for transforming the old Wikit Building at West Georgia Tech into a Quick Start Center, where they can train employees while their manufacturing plants are under construction.
The list could go on and on, filling many more pages, but the message is clear. Fuller E. Callaway Jr. has been the guiding hand that transformed LaGrange and Troup County into the success they are today.
Each one of us has lost our most beloved friend. Yet, he is not gone. He has left a lifetime of monuments and memories. What else can be asked of a man?
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