In nominating John McCallum for the Hall of Fame, Tommy Frangella, a 1998 Hall of Fame Umpire inductee, said that McCallum embodied three important characteristics of a great softball player; “His fielding was flawless, his hitting was tremendous and his sportsmanship was beyond reproach.” Born in 1919, John McCallum graduated from Mt. Carmel high school in 1939 and began his softball career with Amstader’s and Grove’s Menswear in the 30s. As news of his talent spread, he was picked up by other teams that read like a Who’s Who of Pioneer softball. In the 1940s he played with Jack’s Menswear and the Kodackers, and with Nudo’s for big money games. He also played with Harry’s Owl Club in the Windy City League, helping them to become one of the great teams in softball history. In the 1950s John switched to Conroy’s. John McCallum’s passion for the game, and his two decade involvement helped shape 16″ softball into the game it is today. John’s three daughters are Sue, Patty and Joanne. His son’s are Jay and Barry. He also has twelve grandchildren. In 2000, John lived in Palos Heights, Illinois.
