All families are special to Allday Golden Retrievers but occasionally someone of historical significance comes along whose story needs to be told. Bo Callaway is such a man.
Bo and his wife Elizabeth “Beth” Walton drove from Georgia to Selma, Alabama to see us back in 2005. If you have heard of Callaway Gardens in Georgia, then you have heard of Bo Callaway because that was his father’s place that he helped run it for years. But Callaway Gardens or Callaway Resorts wasn’t his only accomplishment. This is a short list.
Bo was a military man early on. He was the 11th Secretary of the United States Army under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He also served as a Republican member of the House of Representatives, representing Georgia’s 3rd Congressional district. Bo also won the popular vote but still lost the election to become Governor of Georgia. He was active in many things and on many boards.
These are all hard facts but I want to speak of a more personal nature. A strong and able man with a heart of gold! The day I met Bo, there was no speaking of politics or Callaway Gardens. His wife was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease and so that was a pretty good trip to see us from Georgia. He felt like a golden would be just the right medicine to bring his wife, in her condition, some joy and happiness. And, she was all smiles! What I saw in Bo that day was a strong love for his wife and his empathetic and caring nature. He didn’t say long – older people usually don’t stay long in general. They had a long drive back to Georgia with a new puppy and neither of them were young anymore. A year or so later, his picture ended up in the Atlanta Journal Constitution with his beloved Golden Retriever puppy. Even though I did not speak to him afterward, the picture with the puppy in the paper was proof to me that it had brought some sunshine into both of their lives.
Allday Golden Retrievers 