Gary D. McCaleb
Encyclopedia
Gary Day McCaleb is the vice president and professor
of management
at Abilene Christian University
in Abilene
, Texas
, and a prominent civic leader who formerly served as mayor
of Abilene, the seat of Taylor County
. With degrees in business administration and management, McCaleb is also the executive director of ACU's Center for Building Community, which seeks creative and practical solutions to crises that exist at all levels of society
.
Through the Center for Building Community, McCaleb has recruited well-known speakers to Abilene, including film
critic Michael Medved
, former Oklahoma
Republican
U.S. Representative J.C. Watts
, and the late former prime minister
of Pakistan
, Benazir Bhutto
. McCaleb instructs a course in leadership in the ACU College of Business.
, the seat of Jones County
, located in West Texas
north of Abilene and named for Anson Jones
, former president of the Republic of Texas
. He graduated with a bachelor of arts
degree in 1964 from ACU, a Churches of Christ institution. He received a Master of Business Administration
degree (1975) and a Ph.D.
in management (1979), both from Texas A&M University
in College Station
. McCaleb began his academic career as assistant director (1964–1965) and then director of alumni relations (1965–1969) at ACU. He was thereafter director of college relations, assistant academic dean, assistant professor of business administration, vice president and dean of campus life (1980–1983), and dean of campus life (1983–1991). He was named vice president in 1991 during his second year as the parttime mayor. On June 5, 1964, McCaleb married the former Sylvia Ravanelli (born 1945); they have a daughter, Cara Lee Cranford, and a son, Bryan Day McCaleb, and six grandchildren. McCaleb is an avid jogger, having participated in marathons in New York City
, Dallas
, and Houston
.
McCaleb is active in United Way of Abilene, the March of Dimes
, the American Cancer Society
, and the Abilene Task Force on Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
, but all municipal offices in Texas are officially nonpartisan
. Previously, McCaleb was a member of the Abilene City Council from 1985 to 1990. On taking office, McCaleb said that Abilene should view itself as an international city, rather than a regional city. Midway in his mayoral tenure, McCaleb established the Mayor's Task Force on Technology
. He invited sixty citizens from Abilene representing the education
, health care
, business, and government sectors, to serve on the panel. The task force created an awareness level in the community for people who otherwise knew little about recent advances in technology. McCaleb said the group also showed a spirit of cooperation as the members developed an information-sharing mode.
McCaleb is a former president of the Texas Municipal League, and formerly served on the board of directors of the National League of Cities
, with expertise in finance, administration, and intergovernmental relations. He frequently lectures throughout the nation on such topics as local government
and community building and in such international locations as Jerusalem, Prague, São Paulo, Santiago
, Belfast, Beijing, Buenos Aires, and Reykjavik. The trip to China
in 1993 was a 17-day event, with other city officials included. McCaleb also represented his city on a special trip to Corinth, Greece
, the sister city of Abilene. McCaleb conducts periodic workshops through the Texas Municipal League for new city officials.
McCaleb is a recipient of the John Ben Shepperd
Political Courage Award, named for a crusading attorney general
of Texas during the 1950s and presented in Austin
by the Shepperd Public Leadership Forum.
of two books: Community: The Other Side of Self and The Gift of Community. He is also an artist
, whose works can be seen at the Towne Crier Steakhouse
in Abilene, of which he is a former managing partner.
McCaleb hosts McCaleb & Company, an oral history
television
program through ACU. On August 2, 2006, he received the Texas Oral History Association's Barnes Award for excellence in community oral history. Specifically, McCaleb created fifty-five videotape
d oral history interviews for the Abilene Centennial Project (1983). He interviewed individuals who describe their personal experiences in the growth and development of Abilene. The interviewees include other former mayors, sports figures, and Paul Siple, the man credited with inventing the term, wind chill factor. The oral history tapes are housed in the Grace Museum history archive in downtown Abilene.
McCaleb has teamed with Kathy Morehead to establish an unusual art museum
, the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature
. NCCIL, located at 102 Cedar Street in historic downtown Abilene, unveils three new exhibits each year. There is no admission fee. The museum was featured in a 2007 segment of Bob Phillips
' Texas Country Reporter
television series. In the broadcast, McCaleb notes that numerous children's books refer to "Abilene, Texas", which he equates with the American "heartland". He recalled an illustrator from the East Coast who expressed surprise to find such a museum in Abilene.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
at Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University is a private university located in Abilene, Texas, affiliated with Churches of Christ. ACU was founded in 1906, as Childers Classical Institute...
in Abilene
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and a prominent civic leader who formerly served as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Abilene, the seat of Taylor County
Taylor County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 126,555 people, 47,274 households, and 32,524 families residing in the county. The population density was 138 people per square mile . There were 52,056 housing units at an average density of 57 per square mile...
. With degrees in business administration and management, McCaleb is also the executive director of ACU's Center for Building Community, which seeks creative and practical solutions to crises that exist at all levels of society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
.
Through the Center for Building Community, McCaleb has recruited well-known speakers to Abilene, including film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
critic Michael Medved
Michael Medved
Michael Medved is an American radio host, author, political commentator and film critic. His Seattle, Washington-based nationally syndicated talk show, The Michael Medved Show, airs throughout the U.S...
, former Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
U.S. Representative J.C. Watts
J.C. Watts
Julius Caesar "J. C." Watts, Jr. is an American politician from Oklahoma who was a college football quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners and professionally in the Canadian Football League. Watts served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003 as a Republican, representing the 4th...
, and the late former prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto was a democratic socialist who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996....
. McCaleb instructs a course in leadership in the ACU College of Business.
Early years and family
McCaleb was born to Victor Earl McCaleb and the former Vivian Day (1917–2000) in AnsonAnson, Texas
Anson is a city in and the county seat of Jones County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,556 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abilene, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, the seat of Jones County
Jones County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,785 people, 6,140 households, and 4,525 families residing in the county. The population density was 22 people per square mile . There were 7,236 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...
, located in West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
north of Abilene and named for Anson Jones
Anson Jones
Anson Jones was a doctor, businessman, congressman, the fourth and last President of the Republic of Texas, sometimes called the "Architect of Annexation."- Early life :...
, former president of the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
. He graduated with a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1964 from ACU, a Churches of Christ institution. He received a Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
degree (1975) and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in management (1979), both from Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in College Station
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
. McCaleb began his academic career as assistant director (1964–1965) and then director of alumni relations (1965–1969) at ACU. He was thereafter director of college relations, assistant academic dean, assistant professor of business administration, vice president and dean of campus life (1980–1983), and dean of campus life (1983–1991). He was named vice president in 1991 during his second year as the parttime mayor. On June 5, 1964, McCaleb married the former Sylvia Ravanelli (born 1945); they have a daughter, Cara Lee Cranford, and a son, Bryan Day McCaleb, and six grandchildren. McCaleb is an avid jogger, having participated in marathons in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, and Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
.
McCaleb is active in United Way of Abilene, the March of Dimes
March of Dimes
The March of Dimes Foundation is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies.-Organization:...
, the American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
, and the Abilene Task Force on Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
Mayor McCaleb
McCaleb served three three-year terms as mayor from 1990 to 1999 but did not seek a fourth term. McCaleb is a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, but all municipal offices in Texas are officially nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
. Previously, McCaleb was a member of the Abilene City Council from 1985 to 1990. On taking office, McCaleb said that Abilene should view itself as an international city, rather than a regional city. Midway in his mayoral tenure, McCaleb established the Mayor's Task Force on Technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
. He invited sixty citizens from Abilene representing the education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
, business, and government sectors, to serve on the panel. The task force created an awareness level in the community for people who otherwise knew little about recent advances in technology. McCaleb said the group also showed a spirit of cooperation as the members developed an information-sharing mode.
McCaleb is a former president of the Texas Municipal League, and formerly served on the board of directors of the National League of Cities
National League of Cities
The National League of Cities is an American advocacy organization representing 19,000 cities, towns, and villages, and encompassing 49 state municipal leagues....
, with expertise in finance, administration, and intergovernmental relations. He frequently lectures throughout the nation on such topics as local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
and community building and in such international locations as Jerusalem, Prague, São Paulo, Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, Belfast, Beijing, Buenos Aires, and Reykjavik. The trip to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in 1993 was a 17-day event, with other city officials included. McCaleb also represented his city on a special trip to Corinth, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, the sister city of Abilene. McCaleb conducts periodic workshops through the Texas Municipal League for new city officials.
McCaleb is a recipient of the John Ben Shepperd
John Ben Shepperd
John Ben Shepperd was the segregationist Texas attorney general from 1953–1957 who led resistance to the desegregation of public schools mandated by the 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka...
Political Courage Award, named for a crusading attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
of Texas during the 1950s and presented in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
by the Shepperd Public Leadership Forum.
Other accomplishments
McCaleb is the authorAuthor
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of two books: Community: The Other Side of Self and The Gift of Community. He is also an artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, whose works can be seen at the Towne Crier Steakhouse
Steakhouse
A steakhouse is a restaurant that specializes in beef steaks. The same type of restaurant is also known as a chophouse.The steakhouse started in the USA in the late 19th century as a development of traditional inns and bars....
in Abilene, of which he is a former managing partner.
McCaleb hosts McCaleb & Company, an oral history
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
program through ACU. On August 2, 2006, he received the Texas Oral History Association's Barnes Award for excellence in community oral history. Specifically, McCaleb created fifty-five videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
d oral history interviews for the Abilene Centennial Project (1983). He interviewed individuals who describe their personal experiences in the growth and development of Abilene. The interviewees include other former mayors, sports figures, and Paul Siple, the man credited with inventing the term, wind chill factor. The oral history tapes are housed in the Grace Museum history archive in downtown Abilene.
McCaleb has teamed with Kathy Morehead to establish an unusual art museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature
National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature
The National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature , located in Abilene, Texas, was established with a conviction and purpose of celebrating the best original art published in children's literature...
. NCCIL, located at 102 Cedar Street in historic downtown Abilene, unveils three new exhibits each year. There is no admission fee. The museum was featured in a 2007 segment of Bob Phillips
Bob Phillips
Robert Leon Phillips, known as Bob Phillips , is an American television journalist best known for his long-running program Texas Country Reporter...
' Texas Country Reporter
Texas Country Reporter
Texas Country Reporter is a weekly syndicated television program hosted and produced by Bob Phillips. It airs in all 22 Texas media markets, generally on weekends, and reruns are broadcast nationally on the satellite/cable channel RFD-TV...
television series. In the broadcast, McCaleb notes that numerous children's books refer to "Abilene, Texas", which he equates with the American "heartland". He recalled an illustrator from the East Coast who expressed surprise to find such a museum in Abilene.
Footnotes
- In his nine-year tenure as mayorMayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of AbileneAbilene, TexasAbilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
in West TexasWest TexasWest Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
, McCaleb served as president of the Texas Municipal League, promoted international contacts, and improved technologyTechnologyTechnology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
for his city. - McCaleb cofounded the National Center for Illustrated Children's Literature, an unusual artArtArt is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
museumMuseumA museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
in the historic district of downtown Abilene. - As an administrator at Abilene Christian UniversityAbilene Christian UniversityAbilene Christian University is a private university located in Abilene, Texas, affiliated with Churches of Christ. ACU was founded in 1906, as Childers Classical Institute...
, McCaleb co-founded the Center for Building Community, which seeks creative but practical solutions to crises in society. - Through ACU, McCaleb hosts his own oral historyOral historyOral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
interview program. - With his global interests, McCaleb was instrumental in bringing the late prime ministerPrime ministerA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Benazir BhuttoBenazir BhuttoBenazir Bhutto was a democratic socialist who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996....
, to speak in Abilene.