McCallie Men - McCallie School

At the start of McCallie’s second century we asked
ourselves a serious question: Faced with today’s
educational, moral and financial challenges, how do we take
100 successful years of building great men and inspire a
future generation of great boys to follow in their footsteps?
The answer: Strengthen the very assets that already made
McCallie extraordinary – boys, teachers, academics,
character, and community. Toward this end, we embarked
in 2002 on the most ambitious fundraising initiative in the
school’s history, $125 million for the 2 nd Century Campaign.
In “true blue” spirit, over 8,800 donors made it happen.
This report is about thanking and recognizing those
partners and sharing the incredible stories behind a
campaign of this magnitude.
One of the central stories is the leadership and vision of
Board Chairman Ed Michaels ’60. Having just retired from
McKinsey & Company, Ed thought he had a little extra
time to head up the strategic planning process and then the
campaign. Seven years, nine city committees, 112 meetings,
48 speeches, and 59 personal solicitations later, Ed’s tireless
determination proved the difference.
Early momentum was set by the Board of Trustees when
the question was asked, “Have you made the kind of legacy
gift that reflects your love for McCallie?” Not a single hand
was raised. By the close of the effort, however, 38 Board
members set a record with cumulative gifts totaling almost
$32 million.
Because the great endowments of this country are built
on estate giving, encouraging planned gifts became a
major focus of this campaign. From an unexpected $2.8
million bequest from a one-year graduate, to a 50 th reunion
alumnus who set up a $4 million IRA designation, to a
44-year old who named McCallie in a $500,000 insurance
policy, our Benefactors Society will now have a critical
impact on McCallie’s future.
The $2 Million Challenge of the Century helped raise the
sights of donors thanks to the action of “super heroes”
Hacker Caldwell ’66, Tom Fanjoy ’50, and Ed Michaels ’60,
and hundreds of phonathon volunteers. Combined with the
overwhelming success of the new Reunion Giving Program,
the Annual Sustaining Fund dramatically increased from
$1.3 million to $2.35 million per year.
Individual vision and passion inspired the Hardwick
Caldwell, Jr. Chair of Christian Ethics and the McCallie
Faculty Fellows Program, built Pressly Dorm and has
funding underway for Burns Dorm, renovated the Chapel,
Walker Theater, and the Cline Fitness Center, began the
initial planning for a new upper school academic building
for science and math, created the Day Scholars program,
and funded numerous endowments for scholarship and
faculty support.
The conclusion of this collection of stories is revealed in
numbers:
• Surpassed goal of $125 million in six years
– $47 million in gifts and pledges for capital
support
– Almost $110 million in face value of
documented estate gifts
– $12.5 million from the 2003-2008
Sustaining Fund efforts
• Partnered with 8,880 alumni, parents, and friends
• Led by 26 donors making commitments of $1
million or more
• 1,200 alumni and parent volunteers
As we celebrate your partnership and our tremendous
victory, we also look ahead to the future. With each summit
reached, there is a better view of the mountain range ahead.
R. Kirk Walker, Jr. Ph.D. ’69
Headmaster
A Second Century of McCallie Men 1