A Tribute to Scott C Calloway

I ran into Mr. Jolly yesterday. Mr. Jolly was my junior high school principal and also was one of my Sunday School teachers. My oldest daughter and my wife have also worked with him in the school system. He would be one the people on my "People who help shape my life" list. It was really nice running into him and his two daughters. He was celebrating his 70th birthday (which was the day before).
It is very hard to believe that Mr. Jolly is 70...at least until I remember how old I am.

Then when I got home I read on facebook that another man on my list, Scott C Calloway, had died. He was our high school band director in our city since the forties , I think or maybe the early fifties.Mr. Calloway had a major influence on my life and I will always be grateful for the character he helped to instill in me. He died on his birthday (93, I think) I remember when I was a senior he announced one day that he didn't expect to live much longer because all of his family died around the age that he was then. I guess he would have never expected to make it another 35 years...amazing.

"Take all you want, but eat all you take" he would say when the band was eating somewhere.

"Make sure we leave this place cleaner then it was when we got here" There's one I have tried to pass on to every group I have ever been with.

"If you want to be respected, rspect others and give them a reason to respect you"

I disappointed Mr. Calloway one time in a dumb decision I made and he let me know exactly how he felt and then he gave me another chance and things changed. In my adulthood I have had a number of opportunities to see Mr. Calloway and he would beam when he saw me and often mentioned how proud he was of how I turned out. I'm quite sure that at one point he didn't expect me to turn out very well at all.

But for any success I have enjoyed, I must attribute a part to him. A true hero to me.

Thank you Mr. C. for being who and what you were... we will likely never know the thousands of lives you touched on your journey here.