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The Passing
Of A Champion 
Last week our industry last a champion with the passing of Howard "Bo" Callaway at the age of 86. Mr. Callaway was a pioneer in the green movement, a man who was green way before it was cool to be that way. He established and nurtured the Callaway tradition of appreciation and enjoyment of nature through conservation, education, and stewardship.
In the early 1950s, the Callaway family began the development of Robin Lake Beach, the world's largest man made beach and the centerpiece in the early days of the evolution of Callaway Gardens. My father was very proud that he installed many of the giant trees, hollies, and azaleas that are now permanent fixtures of this majestic and legendary property.
Through the vision of Bo Callaway, the Gardens have evolved to encompass any and every activity having to do with nature and outdoor living. For decades Callaway has been host to the Master's Water Ski Tournament (the Super Bowl of the sport), the Buick Open Professional Golf Tournament, The Sky High Hot Air Balloon Festival, The Steeplechase At Callaway, and has been the home of the John A Sibley Horticultural Center, The Day Butterfly Center, The Callaway Farmers' Market, The Callaway Gardens Fitness Series, Azalea Season, and has become a world class destination for golf, tennis, fly fishing, boating, hiking, sporting clays, quail hunting, biking, gardening symposiums, and much more.
In addition to the development of Callaway Gardens, Bo Callaway also found time to develop Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado, serve as Secretary of the Army, and hold many other civic and patriotic roles.
I never met Mr. Callaway in person, but have had many opportunities to observe the way he carried himself and the way he treated other people. And I came away profoundly impressed with this quiet and gentle leader.
Many years ago, I saw him being interviewed on a Georgia Public TV program, and during the interview he shared a brief essay that was written by his eleven year old granddaughter, that spoke to his heart about the transcendent quality and language of the garden. To this day, I think it is one of the most beautiful pieces of prose that I have ever read, and I think it speaks volumes about Bo Callaway, and the wonder of and appreciation for nature that he passed on to his family.
This was way before my introduction to the internet and emails, so I wrote Mr. Callaway a brief letter asking for a copy of this piece and for his permission to pass it around to my friends and business associates. I received a very gracious and personal reply in which he gladly consented to my request. And here it is:
My Great Grandmother
My great grandmother sits in her wheel chair
Thinking of her past, of her childhood
Wanting to tell her great grandchildren
Knowing what to say,
Not knowing how to say it.
She is behind a dark wall
All alone.
As I walk around her garden
I see her, but in a different way;
I see her kindness,
And her love.
I see this through her garden
For she cannot show me.
I must find it myself.
But sometimes I think she sees through the wall
And she smiles at me,
And I feel a warmness inside
That I cannot explain.
Elizabeth Callaway,
daughter of Mr. an Mrs. Edward Callaway
Age 11, January 11, 1995
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