Inaugural McCallie Gala And Auction Raises Over $500,000

Brad Cobb doesn’t play golf. He’s a world-class amateur cyclist. So why did he put in the high bid for a flashy four-seat golf cart at McCallie’s inaugural Gala and Auction at the Westin?

“That’s easy,” he said inside a jam-packed ballroom. “I love McCallie. I bought the golf cart to support McCallie.”

When all the winning bids were tabulated for both the auction and silent auction items, the total support for the Gala and Auction came to a stunning $541,121. That money will go to both the Honor Fund and a special fund to cover travel expenses for those students on financial aid.

“This far exceeded our expectations in every way,” said Gala co-chairman and McCallie director of family development Mercedes Bartow. “Just a fantastic showing of support from the McCallie family. We’re so appreciative of everyone who made this happen.”

Added co-chair Laura Bartley in an email: “The McCallie Auction & Gala surpassed all expectations – parents and supporters from all over Chattanooga, and the country, came together for an evening of fun and fellowship in support of McCallie. The Auction Committee is overwhelmed by the support and generosity of our sponsors, auction donors and McCallie parents and supporters. It was an honor to chair this inaugural event and to serve a committee of such dedicated co-chairs, who worked for over nine months to ensure the event was a success.”

Like most of the volunteers for the Gala, Laura and Derek Bartley have sons at McCallie. In the Bartleys' case, Derek graduated in 2023, with Jack (2027) and Tucker (2030) still on campus. Bartow’s son Davis is a McCallie sophomore.

The need for the travel fund might have been best summed up by faculty member and alum Jesse Teague ‘00 in a video played at the Gala. An enthusiastic traveler who once visited Chile with faculty member Bill Jamison as a McCallie student, Teague noted, “If I didn’t travel, my view of the world would be narrow.”

A portion of that $541,121, will help make sure every McCallie student has an opportunity to widen his worldview through travel.

But McCallie parent and auctioneer supreme Victoria Underwood made sure a lot more money was raised than for student travel, alone, through her electric, energetic turn at the podium. Working the room and raising the bids with her charming Wales accent, Ms. Underwood turned, “Going once, going twice, SOLD,” into high art.

After watching her for a few minutes, 15-year board member Ward Petty ‘80, said, “This is a step in a new direction for us in fundraising. It’s exciting and it’s great to see the McCallie family come together for this.”

For Ms. Underwood — who has two sons at McCallie in eighth-grader Bear and ninth-grader Max — the event had an extra layer of trepidation from her usual auction gigs.

“I was more nervous about this one because it was family,” she said. “Both of my sons are here and other family members. We love McCallie and I wanted to make sure I helped make this a really special night.”

There were no worries there. The items in the live auction were pretty special, too. From the golf cart to vacations in London and the Caribbean, to sapphire and diamond earrings, to a Bernedoodle or Labradoodle puppy, to a large original oil painting by Rik Herrmann titled “Blazer and Tie” and a dinner catered by chef Kenyatta Ashford, there was something for everyone and Ms. Underwood made sure to squeeze the last dollar out of the audience for each item.

In Mr. Herrmann’s case, his painting was a labor of love for his school.

Asked how long it took him to complete the 3x4-foot painting highlighted by a McCallie blue blazer against a background of bold blue and white diagonal stripes, Mr. Herrmann smiled and said, “Twenty years,” then added, “It took a month. But I needed a leap-year day (in February) to finish it by March 1.”

Until this year, the auction had been online only since it began in 2017. But with the help of Ms. Bartow, Ms. Bartley, McCallie’s senior director of development and community engagement Bess Steverson, director of events engagement Paul Powers, and development coordinator Kim Love, it turned into must-attend event complete with a rousing afterparty that included the Atlanta-based band the Heather Hayes Experience. Ms. Hayes, by the way, just happens to be the daughter of Issac “Shaft” Hayes.

“The energy of the event was great,” said Mr. Powers. “We had so many people tell us how perfect it was, how smoothly it ran. For this to be our inaugural Gala, to have it come off as looking so polished and effortless to so many, like it’s been around for years, speaks volumes about the Auction Committee’s work and our numerous volunteers.”

As current McCallie board chair Gary Welch was surveying the ballroom where the live auction took place late on that Saturday night, a ballroom filled with McCallie alumni and parents still visiting more than an hour after the actual auction had ended, he said, “Isn’t this great? Isn’t this a great reflection on the McCallie community of alumni, parents, and friends uniting to support our boys?”

It was indeed.