In Memoriam: Raymond McCall

...a quintessential professor, ...an instinct for comedy, ...a gift to us all

Raymond McCall, professor of English at the College from 1958 to 1998, died on July 28 at age 78 of lung cancer. Surviving are his wife, Lois, and three children, Susan, Sarah, and Gilbert.

McCall’s friends remember his trademark pipe and Smith-Corona typewriter, his jaunts across campus on a vintage mid-century bicycle, and his enormous commitment to students.

“He was the quintessential faculty member,” said Gordon Collins (psychology, emeritus). “He loved teaching and wanted his students to care about learning as much as he did. Ray was an excellent I.S. adviser, because he was a taskmaster, but at the same time, he was caring and compassionate.”

Peter Havholm (English) saw McCall shortly before his death and said the visit was inspiring. “I came away determined to remember his thrilling tenacity of spirit and to emulate it if I could. We talked a lot about London and theatre. We talked about the Ohio Light Opera and its beginnings. We talked about the time he helped me start my comedy course by putting a pie in my face. All of the intonations were there, representing his enormous, varied enthusiasms. I told him that I’d ridden over on my bike in his honor, and he burst out laughing and told a bike story. His bike was once cast in an OLO show, Der Vogelhandler (The Birdseller), and it did so well that the company’s artistic director called it back for this summer’s Birdseller production.”

McCall was a Renaissance man, equally knowledgeable about poker, opera, baseball, and Shakespeare. Actor Richard Figge (German, emeritus), who worked with McCall in several campus productions, remembered his colleague’s wit. “Ray’s instinct was for comedy. Without cracking a smile, he could put people in a state of hilarity. His humor was dry, so subtle, that often, not everyone got it.”

Figge recalled the time he audited McCall’s Shakespeare class. “I remember the first day of class. Ray burst in from the back door of Lean lecture hall, quoting the opening prologue from Henry V. From that moment, the students understood the passion that this man had for his subject, and they would talk about it outside of class.”

From the early years of the Ohio Light Opera, McCall supported its mission, preparing historical write-ups and pre-curtain lectures. Laura McGraw Neill ’89, a student of McCall’s and later an OLO colleague, remembers his efficiency, his expertise, and his passion.

McCall was born Nov. 19, 1928, in Erie, Pa., and attended high school in Meadville, Pa. He earned an undergraduate degree in 1949 from Allegheny College and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

McCall’s service to the College and community was varied and extensive. Describing him as “a generous, loyal, and nurturing colleague,” Deborah Hilty (English, emerita) said, “Ray exemplified citizenship of the highest order, on campus and in the city.”

He chaired the English, communication, and theatre departments at the College, directed the summer session, was acting dean of the faculty, and collaborated with the late Joe Fishelson and the late Ted Williams (chemistry) to establish the Wooster Chamber Music Series. In 1991 McCall was named as the first to hold the Virginia Myers Professorship of English, in recognition of his many achievements and contributions to the College.

McCall belonged to the Suicide Club, a group of faculty members who would meet each week to talk about issues that affected the College, the community, the country, and the world. (The club dates from the earliest years of the College, when faculty would gather to indulge, not only in discourse, but also in a “suicidal” dessert.)

McCall’s passion for drama, especially Shakespeare, led to three research leaves in London and detailed studies of 300 performances of Shakespeare’s works. McCall also specialized in contemporary drama, 18th century literature, and American literature. He wrote original dramatic sketches for the St. James Strolling Players and acted with the Arena Fair Theatre, Hampstead Drama Guild in London, and Stage Right Repertory Company. McCall’s reviews of concerts and theatre productions were published in The Daily Record, College English, Western Humanities Review Critique, and Explicator.

McCall was a constant member of Wooster’s St. James Episcopal Church and often discussed matters of faith on campus with friends, over lunch, said Gordon Tait (religion, emeritus).

He also volunteered for about seven years at the Gault Family Learning Center, tutoring students who were studying for their GEDs.

“He showed such respect for these students, regardless of their skill levels,” said Jennifer McAdams, another tutor.

“Ray McCall was modest, principled, and eloquent,” Hilty recalled. “His understanding of life and learning was informed by the ‘compleate and generous education’ that John Milton urged us to pursue.

“That is Ray’s gift to us all.”