Encourages others to live modestly, give back
In 1970, when Colorado Mountain College was only 3 years old, James C. Calaway at age 40 had attained the classic American Dream in his native state of Texas.
Professionally and financially successful, he had assuredly climbed up Houston’s oil and gas industry ladder, and was perched at the top. Money was pouring in. He had acquired fancy cars, expensive clothes, a multi-million-dollar house, boats and a private plane.
“I thought I was living the good life,” Calaway, now 80, says in his deep-voiced melodious Texan drawl, a big ironic smile across his face.
Calaway’s success had not come easily. Completely self made – his parents were Texas tenant farmers – Calaway was born the year after the stock market crashed. He grew up during the Depression, in a house where no one ever spoke about the virtues of getting an education, let alone becoming a contributing member of society.
Curiously, though, instead of dragging the young man down, his circumstances gave him an unshakeable need to achieve.
“It made me a very determined person,” Calaway says.
No one in his family had gone to college, but all that changed when Calaway graduated from high school early and worked his way through the University of Texas before receiving his law degree. Quickly and demonstratively, he excelled in the oil and gas exploration business, married and fathered twin sons, John and James.
But by his 40s, with all the material wealth he could have dreamed of, Calaway could not shake a persistent, nagging sentiment.
“It wasn’t as much fun as I thought it would be,” Calaway says. Accumulating wealth and material goods, it seems, was a let down.
“It’s all junk in the long run,” he says now. “You don’t see too many U-Hauls behind hearses.”
From material goods to the common good
And so, bit-by-bit, Calaway’s transformation took shape.
It started slowly. He began developing humanitarian and philanthropic awareness. In Houston, Calaway served as treasurer for the American Civil Liberties Union. He became a lifetime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and received two presidential appointments during the Carter administration.
His donations and involvement in nonprofit organizations started escalating. And as a result, Calaway noticed a fringe benefit.
“The more I gave away, the happier I became,” he says.
About 30 years ago, a friend, former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel, encouraged Calaway to attend a seminar at The Aspen Institute, bringing Calaway to the Roaring Fork Valley for the first time.
The institute conducts world-renowned leadership conferences and humanitarian programs with the likes of Henry Kissinger, Sandra Day O’Connor, Paul Volcker and Madeline Albright. Calaway became deeply involved in the institute, giving his time and money to the organization.
“I fell in love with the institute,” says Calaway, of his affiliation with the organization, which continues to this day.
The feeling, according to Aspen Institute President and CEO Walter Isaacson, is mutual
“As chairman of our lifetime trustees, Jim Calaway has been an enthusiastic champion of the work of The Aspen Institute,” says Isaacson. “Jim’s been incredibly generous over the years.”
But even more important, Isaacson says, are the high standards that Calaway brings to the institute.
“He is a deeply gracious, moral man,” Isaacson says. “We all learn and are inspired simply from being in his presence.”
Living modestly
Calaway decided to make a permanent move from the Houston area to the Roaring Fork Valley, settling in Carbondale about 15 years ago.
That move to Colorado precipitated a downsizing of Calaway’s life. Left behind was the private plane and massive home, part of his former Houston existence.
Calaway’s Carbondale home is far smaller than his previous one, and would be even smaller still if he were to build a house today, he says. His vehicle is understated as well. Even Calaway’s clothing has been toned down. He proudly admits buying his clothes at discount stores instead of at upscale retailers.
“I live nicely but I live modestly compared to my means,” Calaway says. “It’s become a way of life for me. And it’s not just a way of life for entrepreneurs. It can be a way of life for every single person. Living a little bit under your means, and giving your service to the common good, makes for a better society.”
Alexandra Yajko is the former CEO of the Colorado Mountain College Foundation, and has seen time and again the positive impacts Calaway makes through his philanthropic efforts.
At regular white-tablecloth luncheons he hosts for recipients of his Calaway Scholars scholarships at Colorado Mountain College, he tells these students – like him, the first in their families to attend college – to never give up.
“It’s extraordinary,” Yajko says. “He doesn’t let them off the hook. He tells them about his very humble background, and what motivated him to succeed. He tells them he’s dedicated to their success, but they have to do their job. He’s like a stern grandfather. ‘I expect you to do great things,’ he says. These kids are in awe that someone, a stranger, cares enough about them to invest in them.”
A diverse range
In addition to Colorado Mountain College and The Aspen Institute, Calaway consistently contributes to a range of regional groups that reflect his passion for education, the arts, health, culture and animal welfare.
“I’ve seen the sheer amount of joy giving brings to Jim,” says Judith Oleson, whose organization, the Third Street Center in Carbondale, received a large, one-time donation from the Carbondale-based philanthropist. “He gets a great deal of fulfillment not just in giving to one organization, but to a range of nonprofits. He’s so big-hearted.”
And Calaway says he believes it is important for benefactors to step up and be acknowledged when they give.
“If you give anonymously, you don’t inspire or influence anyone else to give,” he says. “Besides, when I give my hard-earned money, I want to be able to enjoy giving it. It’s a lot of fun to give.
Although Calaway says that someone asks him for money every week, locally, he tends to direct most of his giving to a limited number of endeavors.
“He chooses organizations and projects that will have lasting benefit and longevity in the community,” says Valley View Hospital CEO Gary Brewer. “This has been evident in his ongoing
commitment to CARE, and now to Valley View Hospital’s Cancer Center, which he and [his wife] Connie have supported so generously. He does more than make a donation; he creates a lasting legacy.”
Education
Colorado Mountain College has several Calaway-funded programs, in addition to the aforementioned Calaway Distinguished Chair in Executive Leadership:
• The Calaway Honors Series: Now in its 11th season, this winter concert program combines live performances with public acknowledgement of outstanding Colorado Mountain College and community leaders and benefactors.
• Calaway Scholars: Awarded to those who represent the first in their families to attend college, recipients need to demonstrate determination in getting an education. So far, Calaway has provided scholarships to more than 100 Colorado Mountain College students through this program.
• The James C. and Connie L. Calaway Academic Building: Located at the Spring Valley site near Glenwood Springs, this building, named after Jim and his wife, houses the New Space Theatre and most of the classrooms at Spring Valley
Arts
Black Box Theatre: Calaway helped raise more than $1 million and personally donated $250,000 for this community building located in downtown Carbondale. As Thunder River Theatre Company Executive Director Lon Winston explains, Calaway supports not only the dramatic arts but also TRTC’s “outreach in offering free events to people who might not be able to have a cultural experience, and our willingness to share our theater with other nonprofits who occasionally need a space to do their good work.
Health
Valley View Hospital: A longstanding, ongoing supporter of this Glenwood Springs medical center, Calaway recently contributed millions to the hospital’s future cancer center. “He draws people in and inspires them not only with his own personal giving,” says Stacey Gavrell, executive director of the Valley View Hospital Foundation, “but also by sharing the story about what they can do for our community and our hospital.”
Culture
Roaring Fork Cultural Council: Co-founded with Carbondale Realtor Craig Rathbun, the organization is, according to Rathbun, “our own miniature version of The Aspen Institute,” bringing “wonderful and inspiring folks” to Carbondale’s Black Box Theatre for world-class presentations.
Animal welfare
Colorado Animal Rescue (CARE): Since its inception a decade ago, Calaway has been involved with the Spring Valley-based shelter, and not just monetarily. Calaway’s own beloved pooches are shelter dogs, and Calaway visits CARE on a regular basis. Calaway even suggested the design of the shelter’s innovative canine water feature as a way to exercise the dogs there.
And for Calaway, it is not just about writing checks. He jumps in with both feet.
“Through the years, he is always so excited to see the animals,” says Leslie Rockey, executive director at CARE. “And his willingness to give is contagious. Once he talks to people he knows, he is able to get new people to join our board. He leads by example.”
For Calaway, who is sharper than most men half his age, there is no time to kick back and luxuriate in retirement. There is so much to do.
“The Dalai Lama says it better,” says Calaway, “but I have developed my own philosophy based on his. Help others, cherish all living creatures, and be kind. For me, that is the essence of life.”
What others say about Jim Calaway…
“He’s larger than life. He’s like a modern-day LBJ. He’s the most esteemed man I know.”
– Bob Howard, former Colorado Mountain College Foundation Board member
“Jim doesn’t just donate money to an organization; he stays with the organization and continues to help. When they find their path to self-sufficiency, that makes Jim proud, because he has succeeded in his philanthropic philosophy.”
– Lon Winston, Thunder River Theatre Company executive director
“He chooses to live under his means so he can do more for the common good. For Jim, the more he saves, the more he can give away.”
– Alexandra Yajko, former Colorado Mountain College Foundation CEO