Jack McCall Memorial Service
Alton, IL
April 2015
Pre-service Music Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major: Elvira Madigan, Mvt. 2
Ringing of the Bell
Chalice Lighting
Source of all life:
We celebrate life’s beauty; we are a part of
life’s joy.
We know that both life and death are real.
We never would choose to part with one
we have loved,
But whenever there is a great love,
there is great memory, a great under
standing that we carry in ourselves
the best of the life that is gone.
May we show our love and celebrate the
life remembered In our daily small
kindnesses and give thanks for the
love that we share.
Opening Hymn #21 For the Beauty of the Earth
Reading “Pale Blue Dot” by Carl Sagan Ryan Tarazi
“I remember Grandpa felt that the mystery of the natural universe was enough to satisfy him, in the sense that he didn't need to turn to religion for it. It was so enjoyable to talk about so many different sciences with him, and I think we both just had a love for knowledge in many disciplines and found nature beautiful. Granda also helped me to be comfortable with my own disbelief in the supernatural, and accept what I felt was reasonable, which was a love and respect for the natural world and the sciences. He never pushed me to be a skeptic, but seeing a man that I deeply admired comfortable in his own intellectual freedom inspired me to listen to the voice in my head saying, "this can't be right,” He also gave me the strength to free myself from the fear that religion pushes on people, and I've never been happier since I felt the same intellectual freedom that he enjoyed. I think this reading from Pale Blue Dot, by Carl Sagan is appropriate, but I want to know what you think. I am not sure if it is too short.
"If it takes a little myth and ritual to get us through a night that seems endless, who among us cannot sympathize and understand? But if our objective is deep knowledge rather than shallow reassurance, the gains from this new perspective far outweigh the losses. Once we overcome our fear of being tiny, we find ourselves on the threshold of a vast and awesome Universe that utterly dwarfs -- in time, in space, and in potential -- the tidy anthropocentric proscenium of our ancestors."
--Carl Sagan, from Pale Blue Dot”
Minister’s Reflection
Dr. Jack McCall lived a full and meaningful life. A Humanist, through and through, he lived a life of intellectual vigilance, compassionate encouragement, and ethical relationship with people and the world around him. From humble and trying beginnings, he grew into a life worthy of the gifts given to him for his brief time on this small blue dot of a planet. We gather to remember this brilliant man and the legacy he leaves with his family, friends, students, and the myriad of lives he encountered be they human or bird.
I did not have the privilege of getting to know Jack personally. However, I learned much about Ginger and Jack from members of this congregation upon arriving here. Longtime members of this congregation, Ginger and Jack are considered to be thoughtful and dedicated supporters of this church and its work of supporting human dignity, religious freedom, compassionate commitment, and strong intellectual reflection. In hearing about Jack’s life from his family, I was quickly reminded of one of the early ministers of this congregation he would become a co-founder of religious humanism- Rev. Curtis Reese. Rev. Reese literally wrote the book titled Humanism and Jack McCall literally lived the tenants of the humanist life. In 1927, Rev. Reese lifted up three core elements to humanism that describe well the values by which Jack lived his life in compassionate thoughtful community. First:
“Humanism is the conviction that human life is of supreme worth; and consequently must be treated as an end, not as a means. This is the basal article of the faith of Humanism. So jealous is the Humanist of human worth that he insists on regarding it as inherent and not derived from a super world of any sort. Human worth is as native to human life as are finely equipped organisms, delicately balanced impulses, and spiritual urges. In fact, human worth is constituted of these and needs no extraneous addition to make it valid. The Humanist insists that human worth is intrinsic to human nature; and that its derivation is of an evolutionary character and is one with organic derivation.”
Jack grew up in Presbyterian Children’s Home in Barium Springs, North Carolina, from the age of two years old. The orphanage was a positive experience for him and taught him the value of human life. The children were supported with love and care. They were taught the importance of hard work. From an early age, he learned that human life matters. The children in this community were cared for and supported through high school and even given the option of going to one of the local colleges.
Jack did not take this opportunity as he came of age in the middle of World War II. Rather than be drafted, he enlisted so that he might have some control over where and how he was stationed. After some training in meteorology, he became a Weather Observer in the Air Force. His job was to observe weather patterns to guide our planes safely during the war.
He never saw combat and yet his experience in the military no doubt influenced his future living. Perhaps nothing could inform more the supreme worth of life than flying over Nagasaki after the bomb had been dropped. He described to Ginger how the city sparkled because of the glass formations created by the explosion. In addition, he witnessed the devastating impact of a typhoon in Japan. Like many veterans, he did not speak of his experiences in the war and yet, these experiences certainly shaped his forming mind as he went on to his adult life.
Jack went on to get his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Carolina-Chapel Hill, Master’s degree in Counseling at Columbia University, and PHD in Psychology from the University of Minneapolis. His vocational focus was in research- engaging his powerful intellect- and vocational testing and evaluation- encouraging the supreme worth of human life by guiding people vocationally into their best work. He spent a brief time before coming to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville working for Job Corps in 1965.
Perhaps nothing expressed his belief in human life more than meeting his love and life partner, Ginger. They met at the University of Minneapolis as he began his PHD. Ginger had control over all of the data that Jack needed to complete his work. She commented that, at first, she wasn’t impressed. However, as she got to know him she noticed that he was different. He had traveled and had life experience.
“Humanism is the effort to enrich human experience to the utmost capacity of man and the utmost limits of the environing conditions.”
Jack lived into the full capacity of his life and environment. Ginger and Jack chose each other and were quickly married. Now both poor college students, they began a tradition on their honeymoon that would weave through their lives- camping. This four day honeymoon required rowing across a lake to an island to a lodge that had no electricity or running water. At first together and then with their children, they enjoyed nature and camping.
Jack lived into the environing conditions as an avid birder, siting more than 1000 bird species all over the country. He loved travel and to explore the world around him. He committed himself to service through volunteering to care for the environment and in leadership in environmental organizations such as Watershed Nature Center and the Illinois Audubon Society.
Students described Jack as a person who kept a promise. If he said he would do it then you knew he would do it. He was a thoughtful doer. He not only had professed values- he lived them in his relationships with his family, friends, students, and the world.
“Humanism is the effort to understand human experience by means of human inquiry.”
Jack studied, researched, and taught in one of the premier fields for understanding human experience through human inquiry- psychology. His family described Jack as a person who was kind and patient with the differing needs and responses of people. He deepened his relationships with his family in the face of conflict and he strived to help the world better understand humanity. His children describe a man who had a unique relationship with each one of them. He connected with them each in their own areas of interest and took seriously their own identities. Even in his relationship with his family, he continued to deepen his understanding of the human experience.
As someone raised in an orphanage, he was concerned over the frequent portrayal of orphanages as terrible and damaging places. He engaged in research to study those who were raised in orphanages. Through this research he helped debunk some of the myths of orphan children and was able to concretely through science and reason what society had so frequently conjured up in reactive emotions and imagination. He was a man committed to the truth.
Jack and his family first attend the Unitarian Universalist congregation in Buffalo, NY. When they moved to Edwardsville for Jack’s teaching position at the new University, they joined this congregation. In recent years Jack explored and visited other congregations. He thought this congregation needed to exist and he certainly lived the values of Unitarian Universalism including the use of science and reason. He enjoyed the study of the philosophy of scientific inquiry.
There is so much to so about this full and rich life. Jack was an academic, a husband, a father, a friend, a teacher, a birder, a volunteer, a humanist, and so much more. His love, energy, and spirit live on in the students he taught, his children and grandchildren, his friends, and the members of this congregation. May we remember his wisdom, patience, kindness, and thoughtfulness in this and the days to come. May it be so.
Musical Reflection Ashokan Farewell Carolyn and Joe Catalano
Meditation
Silence
Hymn Amazing Grace
Remembrances
Eric Levin
David Yates
Nora Meyer
Benediction
Postlude Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major: Elvira Madigan, Mvt. 3
Ringing of the Bell
Chalice Lighting
Source of all life:
We celebrate life’s beauty; we are a part of
life’s joy.
We know that both life and death are real.
We never would choose to part with one
we have loved,
But whenever there is a great love,
there is great memory, a great under
standing that we carry in ourselves
the best of the life that is gone.
May we show our love and celebrate the
life remembered In our daily small
kindnesses and give thanks for the
love that we share.
Opening Hymn #21 For the Beauty of the Earth
Reading “Pale Blue Dot” by Carl Sagan Ryan Tarazi
“I remember Grandpa felt that the mystery of the natural universe was enough to satisfy him, in the sense that he didn't need to turn to religion for it. It was so enjoyable to talk about so many different sciences with him, and I think we both just had a love for knowledge in many disciplines and found nature beautiful. Granda also helped me to be comfortable with my own disbelief in the supernatural, and accept what I felt was reasonable, which was a love and respect for the natural world and the sciences. He never pushed me to be a skeptic, but seeing a man that I deeply admired comfortable in his own intellectual freedom inspired me to listen to the voice in my head saying, "this can't be right,” He also gave me the strength to free myself from the fear that religion pushes on people, and I've never been happier since I felt the same intellectual freedom that he enjoyed. I think this reading from Pale Blue Dot, by Carl Sagan is appropriate, but I want to know what you think. I am not sure if it is too short.
"If it takes a little myth and ritual to get us through a night that seems endless, who among us cannot sympathize and understand? But if our objective is deep knowledge rather than shallow reassurance, the gains from this new perspective far outweigh the losses. Once we overcome our fear of being tiny, we find ourselves on the threshold of a vast and awesome Universe that utterly dwarfs -- in time, in space, and in potential -- the tidy anthropocentric proscenium of our ancestors."
--Carl Sagan, from Pale Blue Dot”
Minister’s Reflection
Dr. Jack McCall lived a full and meaningful life. A Humanist, through and through, he lived a life of intellectual vigilance, compassionate encouragement, and ethical relationship with people and the world around him. From humble and trying beginnings, he grew into a life worthy of the gifts given to him for his brief time on this small blue dot of a planet. We gather to remember this brilliant man and the legacy he leaves with his family, friends, students, and the myriad of lives he encountered be they human or bird.
I did not have the privilege of getting to know Jack personally. However, I learned much about Ginger and Jack from members of this congregation upon arriving here. Longtime members of this congregation, Ginger and Jack are considered to be thoughtful and dedicated supporters of this church and its work of supporting human dignity, religious freedom, compassionate commitment, and strong intellectual reflection. In hearing about Jack’s life from his family, I was quickly reminded of one of the early ministers of this congregation he would become a co-founder of religious humanism- Rev. Curtis Reese. Rev. Reese literally wrote the book titled Humanism and Jack McCall literally lived the tenants of the humanist life. In 1927, Rev. Reese lifted up three core elements to humanism that describe well the values by which Jack lived his life in compassionate thoughtful community. First:
“Humanism is the conviction that human life is of supreme worth; and consequently must be treated as an end, not as a means. This is the basal article of the faith of Humanism. So jealous is the Humanist of human worth that he insists on regarding it as inherent and not derived from a super world of any sort. Human worth is as native to human life as are finely equipped organisms, delicately balanced impulses, and spiritual urges. In fact, human worth is constituted of these and needs no extraneous addition to make it valid. The Humanist insists that human worth is intrinsic to human nature; and that its derivation is of an evolutionary character and is one with organic derivation.”
Jack grew up in Presbyterian Children’s Home in Barium Springs, North Carolina, from the age of two years old. The orphanage was a positive experience for him and taught him the value of human life. The children were supported with love and care. They were taught the importance of hard work. From an early age, he learned that human life matters. The children in this community were cared for and supported through high school and even given the option of going to one of the local colleges.
Jack did not take this opportunity as he came of age in the middle of World War II. Rather than be drafted, he enlisted so that he might have some control over where and how he was stationed. After some training in meteorology, he became a Weather Observer in the Air Force. His job was to observe weather patterns to guide our planes safely during the war.
He never saw combat and yet his experience in the military no doubt influenced his future living. Perhaps nothing could inform more the supreme worth of life than flying over Nagasaki after the bomb had been dropped. He described to Ginger how the city sparkled because of the glass formations created by the explosion. In addition, he witnessed the devastating impact of a typhoon in Japan. Like many veterans, he did not speak of his experiences in the war and yet, these experiences certainly shaped his forming mind as he went on to his adult life.
Jack went on to get his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Carolina-Chapel Hill, Master’s degree in Counseling at Columbia University, and PHD in Psychology from the University of Minneapolis. His vocational focus was in research- engaging his powerful intellect- and vocational testing and evaluation- encouraging the supreme worth of human life by guiding people vocationally into their best work. He spent a brief time before coming to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville working for Job Corps in 1965.
Perhaps nothing expressed his belief in human life more than meeting his love and life partner, Ginger. They met at the University of Minneapolis as he began his PHD. Ginger had control over all of the data that Jack needed to complete his work. She commented that, at first, she wasn’t impressed. However, as she got to know him she noticed that he was different. He had traveled and had life experience.
“Humanism is the effort to enrich human experience to the utmost capacity of man and the utmost limits of the environing conditions.”
Jack lived into the full capacity of his life and environment. Ginger and Jack chose each other and were quickly married. Now both poor college students, they began a tradition on their honeymoon that would weave through their lives- camping. This four day honeymoon required rowing across a lake to an island to a lodge that had no electricity or running water. At first together and then with their children, they enjoyed nature and camping.
Jack lived into the environing conditions as an avid birder, siting more than 1000 bird species all over the country. He loved travel and to explore the world around him. He committed himself to service through volunteering to care for the environment and in leadership in environmental organizations such as Watershed Nature Center and the Illinois Audubon Society.
Students described Jack as a person who kept a promise. If he said he would do it then you knew he would do it. He was a thoughtful doer. He not only had professed values- he lived them in his relationships with his family, friends, students, and the world.
“Humanism is the effort to understand human experience by means of human inquiry.”
Jack studied, researched, and taught in one of the premier fields for understanding human experience through human inquiry- psychology. His family described Jack as a person who was kind and patient with the differing needs and responses of people. He deepened his relationships with his family in the face of conflict and he strived to help the world better understand humanity. His children describe a man who had a unique relationship with each one of them. He connected with them each in their own areas of interest and took seriously their own identities. Even in his relationship with his family, he continued to deepen his understanding of the human experience.
As someone raised in an orphanage, he was concerned over the frequent portrayal of orphanages as terrible and damaging places. He engaged in research to study those who were raised in orphanages. Through this research he helped debunk some of the myths of orphan children and was able to concretely through science and reason what society had so frequently conjured up in reactive emotions and imagination. He was a man committed to the truth.
Jack and his family first attend the Unitarian Universalist congregation in Buffalo, NY. When they moved to Edwardsville for Jack’s teaching position at the new University, they joined this congregation. In recent years Jack explored and visited other congregations. He thought this congregation needed to exist and he certainly lived the values of Unitarian Universalism including the use of science and reason. He enjoyed the study of the philosophy of scientific inquiry.
There is so much to so about this full and rich life. Jack was an academic, a husband, a father, a friend, a teacher, a birder, a volunteer, a humanist, and so much more. His love, energy, and spirit live on in the students he taught, his children and grandchildren, his friends, and the members of this congregation. May we remember his wisdom, patience, kindness, and thoughtfulness in this and the days to come. May it be so.
Musical Reflection Ashokan Farewell Carolyn and Joe Catalano
Meditation
Silence
Hymn Amazing Grace
Remembrances
Eric Levin
David Yates
Nora Meyer
Benediction
Postlude Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major: Elvira Madigan, Mvt. 3