Edward Eugene McCallum

Before he went to high school or college there was GOLF! He started at an early age walking to the golf course with his father. It wasn’t too long before he became s caddy at age 11 and had a chance to hit some balls on Monday—“Caddy Day.”-He soon was one of the most sought-after caddies at the Municipal Course in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where he earned 25 cents for hauling a heavy golf bag around nine championship holes and a whopping 50 cents for 18. Most of the guys he caddied for were just come home after World War II and usually gave him a dollar, including his tip. He used some of that money to buy his first set of golf clubs and was expected to save the rest to purchase his clothes for the coming year. He sometimes would even caddy for 36 holes and then walk back three miles to home! This way EDDIE could be around golf and play more himself. Soon he became quite proficient at the game. He did everything he could to be around the course and even considered going pro one day.

He used to practice in his back yard out on the little farm property where his parents lived, hitting wedge shots over the roof of his house. One day, he skulled a shot through the window that narrowly missed hitting his father. Needless to say, that was the end of those practice sessions! After leading his Crawfordsville high school golf team to state championships, he got a full scholarship to play golf. Unlike football and basketball players, his scholarship only covered tuition, so he had to work his way for the rest of his expenses, mainly by washing dishes and pots and pans at his Phi Delta Theta fraternity house after coming back from golf practice.

While he was Purdue golfer, he played on the varsity for all four years, winning the Big Ten championship for three of those years. He was co-captain during his senior year and continued his studies in Civil Engineering. Our Dad (EDDIE) went to Purdue on a full scholarship for golf. He was on the team that went to the state championship and won several events. He was later the captain and number one on this winning team. He had a scratch handicap for so many years!

With golf dominating his interest, Eddie McCallum had never been interested in girls. That is (ashe used to say) he found my Mom “out in a field.” Actually, they met during Orientation Week before their freshman year at a picnic for incoming freshmen held on the Purdue soccer field. The day my Dad met my Mom he called home and told his Mother he had met the girl he was going to marry! She often told friends that while they were at Purdue, “He chased me until I caught him!” They married shortly after they graduated from college in 1956 and celebrated their 66th anniversary last June..

One of his claims to fame at Purdue university after meeting our Mom and playing golf… he was delighted to brag about this roommate in his fraternity Phi Delta Theta. The first man who walked on the moon—Neil Armstrong!

Half of his early working life was spent as an engineer, while the other half was playing golf. To give you an idea how serious he was about the game of golf--- for our first home in Chicago Heights he had built a putting green, sand trap and even a makeshift driving range in his own back yard. Actually it wasn’t really a range. He had a place where he liked to tee off the ball. Behind our backyard there was a large field. So, he would have his children go pick up his balls for some coins! He was always staying on top of his game.

Eddie loved his family, too. Every Monday night was kids’ night. That meant no golf and the kids could eat the dinner of their choice, and Eddie often cooked out on the grill with hotdogs and “hamburger surprises”—always sure to be a treat! And speaking of family we always had our Grandpa Buck (Mom’s dad) over for Sunday night dinners where he would bring a surprise pie. And every once in a while our family would all head up to Crawfordsville Indiana and visit my Grandma and Grandpa McCallum at the “cuckoo” house where his parents lived in Crawfordville Indiana. As kids we called it that because of my grandma’s co-cuckoo clock. We would always say we love our Grandma and Grandpa at the cuckoo house out in the country and “” Peggy and Buck Buchsbaum (bux bomb)–Mom’s parents--who lived close by in Flossmoor “Grandma and Grandpa here”. My Mom and Dad were blessed with three children, Bob, Sandy and Bonnie, –all of whom are happily married and here today – along with six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Even after a series of strokes had put an end to his golfing days, Eddie always had a sweet disposition about him. He was always smiling. Everywhere he went he always had the girls smiling at him. He was always so handsome and charming even up to his last days. All of his nurses and caregivers claimed he was their favorite patient. He always smiled and greeted everyone with love.

Eddie McCallum was a strong Man of Faith. Led by our Grandma Evelyn McCallum, all the family members followed suit and we entered the fold. In the later years and before Covid, he was a member of the Village View a non-denominational Christian Church in Summerfield Florida. He used to enjoy reading his Bible every day. He also enjoyed daily devotionals with his son Bob in recent years. The best part is that the family knows he is in heaven joined with all those family members who left before him. He is having a celebration in heaven. We only wonder if they built him a special golf course out of gold. He most certainly will be playing!

Eddie was also a very punctual man. He liked to be early and got nervous if we were not early to an event. Besides being on time or early, he was a serious planner…even for fun. When we would go on vacations he would have every minute of the day planned when we first woke up: When we would leave the house, where we would eat breakfast, when he and Mom could to hit balls before golf. When they were to arrive at the tee. Where they were going to lunch. What they would do with every moment of the day until dinner plans were made. He was an extraordinary planner! When the kids were little, he managed to find time to do something special with them, too, walking down the streets of Gatlinburg, Tennessee or biking in Calloway Gardens or going to lots of special places.

His planning skills sure came in handy while working at the Chicago Park District. He was a structural engineer which took a lot of planning and detailed work. Afterall no one wanted the parking garage in Chicago to collapse. He was a head engineer at the Chicago Park district where he worked on the Soldier Field, The Lincoln Park Zoo, Bridges in some 400 parks along with the shore protection for 35 miles of Lake Michigan waterfront. In fact, he was so creative that he won an award in 1982 by testing and using latex concrete in a way that it had never been used and was able to extend the life of Soldier Field. He was named Structural Engineer of the year for this honor.

He retired and initially went to East Lake Woodlands in Oldsmar, Florida- where he had three different homes and conquered the challenging golf courses in the entire area. He won the senior golfer of the year award there and many more awards. Over the course of his golfing career, he had 13 holes-in-one! Several years later he moved to his final home at Spruce Creek Golf and Country Club in Summerfield. He “shot his age” numerous times, more numerous as he grew a little older but first by shooting 69 begore he turned 70. It was at Spruce Creek that he was a member of the “scratch group” joined his special friends the “Rawhides” that he played golf with and had many social outings with his wife Jackie and the other Rawhide wives.

While he spent a lot of time chasing golf balls everywhere, he also enjoyed listening to the late Rush Limbaugh every day. He later added Fox News to his list of favorite things to watch on tv. Let’s not forget that he also liked to watch golf on the tube and anything to do with Purdue sports!

On a serious note, Eddie was not only an engineer but a scientist. His studies in science mastered studying the body’s ability to produce gas in so many different sounds and languages. He had a lot of great laughs about this. Later when we played golf we would play against another imaginary team. They were always named after these sounds and noises!

But in all seriousness we are so blessed to have known this man of faith that we know is in heaven now. His loving family hopes to join him there some day .

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Edward E. McCallum, 89, passed away peacefully on February 23 at Cates Legacy House in Ocala. Born October 16, 1933, to Omer K. McCallum and Evelyn (nee Miller) McCallum, in Crawfordsville, Ind., He graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor of science in Civil Engineering in 1956. While a student there, he was a member and later co-captain of the varsity Boilermaker golf team, which won three Big Ten Championships and was runner-up in the NCAA.

A resident of Summerfield, he is survived by his wife of 66 years, Joanne (nee Buchsbaum) “Jackie” McCallum. Also surviving are two daughters, Bonnie (Patrick) Sheppard) of Dunnellon and Sandra (Dr. Gregg) Rees of Quincy, Ill., and a son Robert McCallum (Myra Clark) of Elk Grove Village, Ill. As well as six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

A Registered Structural Engineer in the State of Illinois, Ed McCallum retired in 1990 after 32 years with the Chicago Park District, where he advanced to become head of the Structural Engineering department and Chief Engineer of Design. While there, he oversaw construction in some 400 parks as well as shore protection for more than thirty miles of the shore of Lake Michigan. He was recognized as Engineer of the Year in 1982 by The Engineering News-Record. Following his retirement, he continued to work as an independent consulting engineer.

He was club champion of Lincolnshire Country Club in Crete, Ill., before his retirement. He moved to East Lake Woodlands in Oldsmar, Fla, where he resided for 13 years before moving to Spruce Creek Golf and Country Club in Summerfield. He was an active golfer and member of the golf courses in both communities. While at East Lake Woodlands, he served on its Board of Directors.

He was a longtime member of the USGA and an alumnus of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. At Spruce Creek, he was a member of the Men’s Golf Association and the Veterans Association, having been honorably discharged from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with the rank of Captain on April 24, 1968 .

Funeral services and interment will be at Sylvan Abbey in Clearwater on Tuesday, March 7. A Celebration Life will be held at a later date at Spruce Creek’s Horizon Center in Summerfield. A devout Christian, he was a member of Village View Community Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts to Hospice of Marion County: https://www.hospiceofmarion.com/donate/

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sylvanabbey.com for the McCallum family.