The Callans and McClarys, by John Edward Callan - Callanworld

The Callans and McClarys
Chapter 24
Hubert “Bert” McClARY
AND
Mary Elizabeth “Beth” Davis
Hubert (“Bert”) Clinton
McClary, Nancy’s father, was
born on 19 Aug 1943 in
Boonville, Mo. He married
Mary Elizabeth (“Beth”) Davis
on 31 Jul 1965 in Boonville, Mo.
Betg was born on 27 Jul 1944 in
Boonville, Mo. The couple met
while Beth was still studying in a
Catholic high school to become
a nun.
“I went to High School at
the Apostolic School at the
Mother-house in Concordia,
Kansas. for all four years,” Mary
Beth recalls “I entered the
Convent on Sept. 7, 1962 and
took the habit on Aug. 15,1963.
I have always been glad that I did
it and would not trade those
years for anything.
“When I told the Mother
Superior that I did not want to
make Profession, she asked me
if I had any problem with the
vow of Poverty. I said, what
poverty, I had clothes to wear, a
place to live, and the best food I
had ever had. She then asked
about the vow of Obedience. I
told her that I could do anything
reasonable anyone told me to
do. She then asked me about the
vow of Chastity. That was the
one I had a problem with. I told
her that I wanted to get married
and have a family. She told me
that was only natural. Believe it
or not I didn’t come back with a
smart answer like, “then why are
you here?”
“I left the Novitiate at the
end of July 1964, just two weeks
before profession. I got married
on July 31, 1965, had my first
child (Nancy Anne) on Sept. 7,
1966 and my second child (John
Kevin) on Sept. 25, 1967. So no
one can say I wasted anytime
doing what I said I wanted to do.
“When I was in the Apostolic
School we had a little blue
rule book. It had rules for all
occasions. I remember when I
was a Freshman we were going
over the rules for vacation
behavior before Thanksgiving
vacation.
“Rule #6 read: We will not
date while on vacation so that we
~ 94 ~
Nancy, Kevin, Bert and Beth McClary, ca. 1980.
can preserver our virtue for our
heavenly boyfriend.” Several
boys from class had gone to
Preparatory Seminary that year.
So I raised my hand and asked if
we could date seminarians and
preserve our virtue together.
Needless to say that didn’t go
over to well. As a matter of fact
they were not sure they were
going to let me come back my
Sophomore year.
“Part of the reason that I
left the convent was because of
Bert. I can admit that now.
When I thought of getting
married it was always Bert that I
saw myself as being married to. I
tried to deny that for several
months after I left but he was
patient and waited for me to
realize that I really did love him
and wanted to marry him.”
“If she had followed rule #6
of the Handbook, she says, “I
might still be in the convent.”
Bert McClary was named
after his uncle Hubert Gerhardt,
who was killed in a hunting
accident when he was 16. He was
mostly known as “Hubie” by
family and friends, except that
his Grandmother Gerhardt
would only call him Hubert, as
she had her own son. He acquired
the nickname Bert from
his new best friend the first week
of college (no Hubie at college,