The Callans and McClarys, by John Edward Callan - Callanworld

The Callans and McClarys
bia store, corporate Director of
Purchasing for the seven stores,
assistant manager of the Columbia
store, and eventually as
manager of the Columbia,
Jefferson City and Osage Beach
stores. This is a male-dominated
industry and Beth was the only
female manager of a full line
CED location in the country.
Beth has excelled at her job and
won praise from everyone from
her lowest paid employee to the
president of the 500 store company.
Tiring of the long hours at
the stores and frustrations of
personnel management, about
the middle of the year 2000 she
accepted an opportunity to install
CED’s new inventory control and
customer accounts system, and
train staff in the use of it. She
currently travels throughout
CED’s Midwestern division
(primarily in six states) serving as
trainer and management consultant.
After Bert had worked at
Long’s for a while, he learned
John had a younger sister, and a
year or so later Beth came to the
store with her best friend, whose
sister was a clerk there. Bert
recalls that he and Beth talked
briefly, but it was not love at first
sight, although, he says, “I do
recall that she was pretty.”
During the summer after his
junior year in high school he
hung out at the swimming pool
occasionally with a best friend
who had also been lifeguard at
the pool. Beth had grown up
considerably and was very attractive
in her swimsuit. Bert was now
six feet tall, but still skinny. Beth
was an excellent swimmer, and
Bert particularly remembers her
diving off a high wall at the front
of the pool into water about 2 ½
feet deep, thinking he wouldn’t
do that on a bet.
On the last day the pool
was open that year, he had
called another friend’s house in
the evening, but he was not
home. He asked his sister if she
wanted to go out and she said
she wanted to stay home, but
that he should go by the pool
and see Mary Beth “because I
think she wants to go out with
you.”
This really floored Bert, he
says, because he had no idea
Mary Beth would consider going
out with someone as “geeky” as
him. But not to pass up an
opportunity, he dropped by the
pool and casually asked if she
needed a ride home. She and
one of her friends did, so he
took the friend home and Bert
and Beth drove around a while.
Bert asked her if she
wanted to go to a movie before
she went back to school in two
days. She said she would have to
let him know, as she may already
have a date. The next day
seemed to go by very slowly,
Bert says, but when he called
she said she could go. He went
to her house later and went to
the front door like a gentleman
and knocked.
Bert says he he heard her
grandmother say “Mary Beth,
someone’s at the front door.”
She pulled open the heavy front
~ 96 ~
door and said “What are you
doing here?” Stunned, he said “I
thought we were going out
tonight.” She said, “No, I mean
nobody ever comes to our front
door.” Bert doesn’t remember
much about the movie. He
thinks it was “North to Alaska,”
but is sure it was a pleasant and
memorable evening.
Bert and Beth didn’t see
each other until Christmas,
although she had a friend
smuggle a short letter to him.
They continued to date when
she was home and write when
she was away for two years,
although it was strongly discouraged
by the Sisters, and somewhat
by her mother. Bert says he
doesn’t know if Beth’s father
approved or disapproved.
“He impressed me as a
gruff person, but was always
cordial to me, though not necessarily
friendly,” Bert says. “One
evening after we were home and
“talking” in the back yard, he
turned on the light and yelled
“Mary Beth, do you know what
time it is? Get in here!” I was out
of there like a bullet. Beth later
said he had woken up and
thought the clock said 5:00, but it
was only 12:25.”
Bert says it was very traumatic
for him the summer that
she left. He only had an occasional
“hello” from her via
friends during the next year.
During the summer of 1964 he
attended a national pharmacy
meeting in New York (at the
time of the World’s Fair).
During a call home he received a
message from her friend that
“Beth is home, but she is going
to Chicago.” Nothing else. He
was both excited and nervous for
the next couple of weeks until
Bert and Beth were both back
home and he got to see her
again. He was surprised to find
she had short hair. She bought a
red wig to wear until her hair
grew out, and the first time they
dropped in to see some friends
they thought “who is that harlot
he’s bringing here?” Beth then
convinced her mother to let her
go to school in Kansas City.
Bert and Beth dated
through the year, and, after a
couple of bumpy months during
the winter, began talking about
marriage. Bert says Beth actually
mentioned it first, one evening as
they were sitting in a park on a
bluff just west of downtown
Kansas City, overlooking the
Missouri River. Bert was ready,
with just one more year of
school, so they told their parents
and made plans. Bert proposed
to her under the pine trees
across from the residence hall
where he lived on the UMKC
campus.
Of course, not being Catholic,
he had to take lessons from a
monsignor, and had to “sign his
children away,” should they ever
have any, to be baptized Catholic.
They had a beautiful wedding
in the beautiful old church,
which has since been torn down
to provide room for a new
colonial style building and its
parking lot. They spent a oneday
honeymoon in Kansas City