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DR. JOHN G. McCALL—OBITUARY
Johnnie McCall became a member of,
Fitzwilliam House in the Michaelmas term 1950 and left in 1953 after
submitting a most successful Ph.D. thesis. John died of poliomyelitis on
5th November. 1954 at the age of 31 after only a week's illness at his
home in Alaska. There are few students, particularly those isolated in
research who become so popular and leave such a cheery mark as did John
McCall. After serving in an American parachute regiment during the war.
Johnnie's love of mountains and the open air had led him across America
from his home town of Philadelphia. He settled in
Fairbanks at the University of Alaska sufficiently long to take a degree
in Engineering, go on expeditions to climb Mount McKinley, lead an
expedition up Mts. Hess and Debra. build a house and marry Mary Anne,
who from then on shared all with Johnny to express life in the great
outdoors.
While motoring across America on their way to Europe. John saw a
poster advertising for the following day some athletic events in the
next town. John entered for the Marathon, stayed the night and took
first prize before driving on. Such was not an isolated incident with
Johnny, it was typical of his getting on with things and yet always
cheerily and with due attention to happy living en route.
In a glacier in Norway a long narrow shaft will now be nearly
closed up by ice movement but long after its disappearance it will be
known as Johnnie's tunnel. That was the first glacier tunnel chipped by
hand for scientific purposes. It had long been a next stage in glacier
observation but the work was too great for most people to dare to begin.
John organised more than 50 students, largely from the Geography
Department, Cambridge, to live and work in all weathers until the rocky
floor of the glacier was revealed at the end of the 400 ft. shaft. Weeks
were spent in the tunnel at different seasons through the year and
though weather was frequently severe, the many friends Johnnie had made
between Oslo and the glacier were always delighted to see him and to
hear of his wife and family and particularly of his daughter Karen to
whom Mary Anne courageously gave birth in Norway while Johnny was a few
miles away working on his tunnel.
John was a stalwart member of the " Ice Follies ", the
glaciology students relaxing, particularly for the Poppy Day Rag, and in
his final year he rowed in Fitzwilliam's third boat for Mayweek Bumps.
The MacCalls [sic] returned to their beloved Alaska in 1953
where John was appointed lecturer in the Geology Dept., and soon was
busy pursuing his ice studies and coaching the college ski-team. His
death was a blow to all who knew him and our most heartfelt sympathies
go to his wife and four children.
H. LISTER.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
ALASKA
WRITES TO THE CENSOR
It was very kind of you to write as
you did on the 9th of December relative to the passing of Dr. John G.
McCall. Dr. McCall was one of our most brilliant young scientists and
had a great future. It seems so tragic that he had to be cut off in his
youth. All of us who knew him loved him and his simplicity and essential
goodness, which you stress in your letter, certainly was one of his
outstanding characteristics. To that I might add his great enthusiasm
and his very brilliant mind.
Last summer, John made a very daring rescue of a mountain
climber who had been injured and left alone in a tent high on the slopes
of Mt. McKinley. This daring feat attracted world wide attention and was
written up and photographed in many of the magazines in the United
States. The physical exertion of this rescue had left its mark on John
and made it easier for Polio to attack him.
15
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John's wife Mary Ann McCall writes: "The above
was taken from:
The Fitzwilliam House Magazine, Volume XXII. No. 9, June 1955. Hal
Lister was a fellow graduate student with John in glaciology. The events
he mentions happened, but he doesn't recall the details correctly. Hal
told me that he went with John during the Christmas study of the tunnel.
They were amazed at what they found.
The President of the University of Alaska was Dr.
Patty. The censor of Fitzwilliam House was W. S. Thatcher." |
Grave marker for John G. McCall in the American Legion
Section of the Birch Hill Cemetery, American Legion Plot #1, Tier
8, Row 7 Fairbanks, Alaska
(Courtesy of Trish Schmidt)
Fairbanks Tribute
The Fairbanks, Alaska Fire Department lowers its flag
to half staff in memory of John McCall. |
