William Reaves McCall

William Reaves McCall, architect, author, and local historian, passed away on Friday, January 21, 2011. He was born October 27, 1930, a twin son of the late Belle Forman Wolfe and P. L. McCall, Sr. He attended local primary and secondary schools and graduated from Clemson College with a B. S. degree and a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1954. While at Clemson, he was elected to the Tiger Brotherhood, a prestigious, honorary, service society. An avid Tiger fan, Reaves was a member of IPTAY for 49 years. In recent years, he became a member of the Clemson Legacy. A widower, he was married to Lavaughn Robinson of Clendenin, WV, a voice teacher at Coker College for 17 years. He is survived by his twin brother, P.L. “Roy” McCall, Jr. (Margaret) of Society Hill, SC; sister-in-law, Sara Medlin of Alpharetta, GA and her children, Daniel Wolfe Medlin (Helen), Beth Medlin Gibson (Joe), Charles McCall Medlin; several cousins; and medical friend and companion, Betty D. Crowley. He was preceded in death by his brother; Elmer Wolfe Medlin. In the Pee Dee area, he practiced architecture with the firm of Clark & McCall, AIA, for 30 years, with offices located in Hartsville and Kingstree, SC, retiring in 1993 with an AIA Emeritus status. Mr. McCall was a member of the West Hartsville Baptist Church where he served as Sunday school teacher, deacon and organist. He was a member of the General Board of the South Carolina Baptist Convention from 1988-1993, where he served on the White Oak Conference Center Committee and the Building Committee for the South Carolina Baptist Convention Building on Stoneridge Drive in Columbia, SC. Active in civic and community affairs, Mr. McCall served in a wide range of capacities throughout the years, including: served on Hartsville’s first Arts Council and was chairman of Hartsville’s first “sidewalk art show”; charter member of Hartsville’s “Friends of the Library,” serving as president, vice-president and treasurer; member and trustee of the Hartsville Community Center Foundation from 1968-1972; member of the Associated Club of Darlington County from 1959-91, having served as director and president; chairman of the Hartsville Community Center Building Commission for 18 years, from 1976-94, under his name, the three-person Commission, with limited revenue from the county, was able to install a new HVAC system, new carpeting and upholstered seating, including repainting of the interior of the Theatre twice; member of the Board of Appeals for Construction for the City of Hartsville from 1989-94, having served as chairman in 1994. In 1995, he was elected “Hartsville’s Citizen of the Year” by the Hartsville Rotary Club. He was a member of the Hartsville Rotary Club for over 50 years, serving as president in 1968-69, and was a multi-stone Paul Harris Fellow. In 2005, he became a charter member of the Paul Harris Society of District 7770. He was a member of St. David’s Society, serving as warden from Darlington County 2003-05. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Cotton Museum in Bishopville since 1999. Mr. McCall was a life member of the Hartsville Heritage Foundation, benefactor of the Hartsville Museum, and was also a life member of the Old Darlington District Chapter of the South Carolina Genealogical Society, member of the Darlington County Historical Society and former member of the Board of Directors of the Darlington County Historical Commission and the Hartsville Museum Commission. He also served as a member of the Lee County Arts Council Foundation. He was honored in 2006 by Coker College with the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for excellence of character and service to humanity. He served two three-year terms on the Board of Visitors at Coker College. Mr. McCall authored the book “In Search of Center Hall,” an attempt to locate a drawing of the residence of Governor David R. Williams (1814-1816) near Society Hill, SC, drawn by John Ross Key, the grandson of Frances Scott Key, and related to families that lived at Center Hall, including the McCall’s. In May of 2010, Mr. McCall donated to the South Carolina State Museum his collection of artwork and prints by the popular South Carolina artist Jim Harrison. The prints comprise a nearly-complete collection of Harrison’s “Limited Editions.” Memorials may be made to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392-1699; the Lavaughn Robinson McCall Endowed Scholarship at Coker College, 300 East College Avenue, Hartsville, SC 29550; the McLeod Hospice House. 555 E. Cheves St., Florence, SC 29506, the Presbyterian Community of SC, 2350 W. Lucas St. Florence, SC 29501; or to a charity of one’s choice. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at Brown-Pennington-Atkins Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at West Hartsville Baptist Church.

Tributes

William Reaves McCall

October 27, 1930 - January 21, 2011