89-Year-Old McCallie Alumnus Charles Lloyd '53 Drives 13 Hours to Celebrate Student’s Graduation

At the age of 89, Charles Lloyd '53 embarked on an incredible journey from Wichita, Kansas, to Chattanooga. He drove 13 hours to witness a proud moment in the life of his student mentee, Alex Johnson, as he graduated from McCallie at the end of May.

Charles describes McCallie as a significant influence on the person he has become, an honorable and true man. He says that he has felt privileged to mentor Alex. Their mentor relationship began during Alex's sophomore year.

“It is an honor to be able to do this for the students today,” Charles said. “It keeps me in tune with who McCallie is and what they are doing.”

Alex was a member of McCallie’s varsity swimming and diving team. During this year’s state championship, Charles sent motivational posters to Alex for encouragement, one of which read, “Pain is weakness leaving the body.”

This spring, Alex invited Charles to his graduation ceremony at the end of the school year, and Charles accepted the invitation without hesitation. He noted that Alex's father (Rob Johnson '80) and grandfather (John R. Johnson '54), both graduates of McCallie, warmly welcomed him as if he were a part of the family. Charles noted that he admired the blue line of McCallie graduates, which includes individuals from his age group down to those as young as 17.

At 89 years old and living in Kansas, Charles did not let his age stop him from celebrating Alex's graduation from McCallie. He shared that he understands the honor of graduating from such a prestigious school, which made it a priority for him to be part of Alex's special day.

When explaining why he became a mentor, Charles said, “When the mothership calls and says there is an opportunity, you listen to it. I have respect for everything McCallie has given me, so I ran to the call.”

Alex and Charles plan to stay in contact and continue to grow the relationship they have developed over the past three years. Going forward, Charles will also begin mentoring another sophomore, Philip Coleman, a member of the class of 2028.

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