Earl Mccaleb

Earl McCaleb, 92, longtime Anson civic and church leader, decorated WWII veteran, and a recipient of Sports Illustrated’s 1963 Silver Anniversary All-America Award, died Monday, November 23 at his home in Abilene.

Services honoring his life will be Friday, November 27 at 11:00 a.m. at University Church of Christ in Abilene under the direction of Piersall-Benton Funeral Directors. Family visitation will immediately follow the service. Bill Young, a family friend of more than 40 years who served as a song leader and youth minister at Anson Church of Christ where McCaleb was an elder, will preside. Private burial will be at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Anson.

McCaleb was born July 16, 1917, at the family home in Anson to Lee and Earlene McCaleb. He and his sister Sarah (Mrs. Charles H. Roberson Jr.) grew up there and he graduated from Anson High School in 1935. He attended then Abilene Christian College, graduating in 1939. While a student he served as president of the Students Association and was co-captain and quarterback of the 1938 Wildcat football team.

He married his college sweetheart, the former Vivian Day, June 15, 1939. They were married for 60 years. They reared their five children on the farm just west of Anson.

Earl served in the Army Air Corps from May 1943 to December 1945 as a radio operator and flew “the Hump,” ferrying troops over the Himalayas in the China, Burma and India theatre. He received the Air Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross.

After the war, he returned to Anson and went to work with his father at McCaleb & McCaleb Insurance Agency and Jones County Abstract Co. Together they sold insurance and handled titles, abstracts and surveying for real estate purposes and for oil drilling operations.

Earl was elected president of the Chamber of Commerce in Anson in 1947 and a year later began serving his first of two terms as mayor. During his terms, a new 30-bed hospital was constructed, the capacity of the city lake was increased, an additional water tower was constructed, the first sanitation service was initiated, and water and sewer mains were extended to serve most of the community. He was honored by the Chamber of Commerce as its first Outstanding Citizen of the Year in 1949.

In later years he was a director of the Texas Land Title Association, chair of the city’s Library Charter Committee, president of the Jones County Cancer Society and of the Anson School Board. He served as an elder in the Anson Church of Christ for many years.

The breadth and depth of his community leadership led to the nomination by his alma mater for Sports Illustrated’s 1963 Silver Anniversary All-America Award. The award was created by the magazine in 1956 to honor men who “have emerged each year [to] represent the very best of their generation,” honoring them 25 years after their college graduation and in most cases the end of their playing days.
More than 180 colleges and universities nominated candidates for the award. Only 25 were chosen, just two from Texas, the other being TCU grad and Heisman Trophy winner Davey O’Brien of TCU who played for the Philadelphia Eagles.

After retiring, Earl and Vivian moved to Abilene to be closer to children. She died May 10, 2000. They were members of University Church of Christ where he attended regularly until the final months of his life.

McCaleb was preceded in death by his wife, his parents and his sister, and by one grandson, David Lee McCaleb. He is survived by three sons and two daughters:
Dr. Gary (and Sylvia) McCaleb and Mary (and Bishop) Powell, of Abilene; Dr. Joseph (and Joyce) McCaleb of Berkley Springs, W.V.; Dr. Bill McCaleb of Arlington, Wash.; and Vicki (and Gary) Wade of Mt. Juliet, Tenn.
He also is survived by 11 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren: Cara Lee (and Brad) Cranford, Lindsay, Caleb and Riley; Bryan (and Dana) McCaleb, Maggie, Colton and Malia; Mark (and Meredith) Powell, Ella, Hayden and Macy; John (and Jackie) Powell, Luke and Kate; Tara Beth Powell; Lauren McCaleb; Sam McCaleb; Paul and David Fitzgibbons; Katie (and Jeff) Gregory, Britni, Jackson and Chloe; and by a granddaughter “by choice,” Ashley (and Preston) Humphries, Maddox and Lincoln.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Christian Homes and Family Services or Christian Service Center. Condolences may be offered to the family online at www.pbfuneraldirectors.com.