Feb 3, 2016 6 min read

To say Nathaniel Calloway made a lasting impression on Warren Fleming when they met for the first time more than 40 years ago would be a gross understatement.

“Nate was one of those people who brightened any room the minute he walked into it,” said Fleming, president of Quality Solution Technologies, Inc., a leading full-service information technologies solution and services provider in Damascus, Md. “He had a way with words and an outgoing personality that immediately grabbed your attention. He loved people and anyone who knew him will tell you the feeling was mutual.”

Calloway, of Clarksville, who died at age 63 on Nov. 29, and Fleming were among a group of students that made history at Augusta Military Academy in Fort Defiance, Va. in 1971.

The school was founded in 1864 as Augusta Male Academy by Col. Charles S. Roller in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Roller had served as a Confederate officer with Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry during the Civil War.

In 1890, Roller changed the name of the school to Augusta Military Academy, making it the first military school in Virginia and one of the first schools of its kind in the United States.

In 1970, as a result of the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling, AMA participated in the nation’s desegregation/integration movement. For the first time in the history, there was an attempt to recruit black students.

“It was hoped that having diversity … would enrich the students and staff as well,” Fleming recalled.

Enter Calloway and Patrick Lewis, both of the Clarksville area and 1971 graduates of Bethlehem-Center High School.

Although three black day students from Virginia were admitted to AMA in August 1970, the school moved to enhance its athletic program, specifically football, in 1971 by recruiting players and coaches from across the country.

Head coach David Holtsclaw and his assistants, David Trimble and Bill Hyatt, “configured a group of players that not only gave their hearts and souls to the team, they also served as a model for brotherhood and solidarity,” Fleming said.

Calloway, affectionately known as ‘Big Daddy Nate,’ was a guard on the 1971 Augusta Military Academy football team.

“He was one tough cat who wouldn’t ask for any quarter and gave none,” Fleming said. “He was 5-10 and weighed about 240 pounds, but he had good speed for a guy that size. He always played with a lot of heart.”

In addition to Calloway, Lewis and Fleming, a running back from Damascus, Md., other black football players who were part of the historic desegregation at Augusta Military Academy were Doug Carter, Russell Wells, William Evans and William Gordon. Calloway, Lewis, Evans and Fleming added to their legacy at the school as the first black cadets permitted to live in the school’s dormitory.

Lewis recalled in an interview with Fleming that he and Calloway became friends at age 10.

“Nate always had a good attitude and kept us all laughing,” he said. “He could tell a story like no other.”

Lewis also noted that Calloway “loved his parents (Nathaniel Calloway Sr. and Mary Pearl Allen Calloway) and his family. He was devoted to them.”

He said Calloway aspired to be a football coach and that he was recognized for having a strong understanding of the game and leadership skills.

One of the highlights of Calloway’s scholastic career at Beth-Center came during his senior year when he was a 250-pound nose tackle.

“He hit the opposing ball carrier so hard on one play that the kid fumbled,” Lewis told Fleming. “Nate scooped up the ball and rumbled about 50 yards for a touchdown. It was quite a sight as he ran toward the end zone with his pants hanging low. The local newspaper had a headline the next day that read, ‘Lo and Behold,’ and described how Nate scored the winning touchdown. We talked about that for years and years.”

Calloway brought his love of football to AMA and coaches and teammates noticed it the first day of practice, Fleming said.

“He became one of the school’s greatest pass rushers and tacklers,” Fleming said.

His impact at the academy extended beyond the football field, Fleming added.

“Nate’s ability to articulate his speech pattern while explaining a point was one of his finest features,” he said. “This ability was widely recognized and appreciated by the AMA cadets and administration. With this trait, it was a foregone conclusion that Nate would have been a great football coach. It has been said many times among many of the 1971 AMA football players that Nate raised the bar when it came to making people feel comfortable around him. His ability to make you laugh, his hard work ethic and his love of people were never matched by any AMA cadet. These characteristics are what Col. Roller wanted in his cadets and Big Daddy Nate met and exceeded these requirements.”

After leaving the academy, Calloway returned to Clarksville.

He was a member of the United Mine Workers of America while employed at the Beth-Energy Mines Corp. Mine 58 in Marianna for several years and later was employed at Kade’s Nursing Home in Washington before retiring in 2004. He also continued his football career as a member of the Washington Generals semiprofessional team of the Mid-Atlantic League.

Calloway and his wife, Mary Ann Johnson Calloway, were married 23 years at the time of his death. Among his other survivors are two daughters, one son, four brothers, one sister, 13 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.

Augusta Military Academy closed its doors in May 1984 but in May 1990 a group of alumni (www.amaalumni.org) initiated a foundation and an association that created the AMA Museum. The museum, which is open to the public, is located on the campus of the school. Its motto is to remember and support all who were cadets and their families.

Calloway’s spirit “will always be part of” Augusta Military Academy, Fleming said.

“It will be engraved forever in the hearts of all he became encountered with at AMA and throughout his life,” Fleming said. “Nathaniel epitomized the term ‘good man’ and possessed qualities that all of us would do well to emulate.”

If you have memories of the Mon Valley to share or story ideas, contact Ron Paglia at ronpaglia@verizon.net or c/o the Observer-Reporter, 122 South Main St., Washington, PA 15301.