My Tribute to Liz

by Ned Callan

On October 11, 1949, in Brooklyn Hospital, to June and Eddie Callan, was born a skinny… but very beautiful blue eyed girl, named after her maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Hickey.

Liz or Lizzie as her mother called her was bright, hardworking and made friends wherever she went. I remember a pretty girl in braids with dimples on both cheeks and a slightly mischievous smile. She was not one to waste time. She took bicycle trips to the Goodie Shoppe on Nassau Boulevard, swung hula hoops on her parent’s lawn, drank milk through chocolate flavored straws and caught summer butterflies in jam jars in our backyard. And while I spent Saturday afternoons in the adjoining bedroom struggling with Latin responses for Sunday’s 9:15 Mass, Liz and her best childhood friends, Anne Tuohy and Barbara Lane threw outrageous dress up parties.

But it was only the beginning. She swam in pool races at the Lawrence Beach Club on the Fourth of July, attended class at Miss Bolyn’s Dance School at the Garden City Hotel and had crushes on boys from Garden City and Cedarhurst. There were songs by the Rolling Stones that when played at a certain level, nearly drove my father out of his mind.

By the time she had graduated from the Noroton School in Connecticut and Briarcliff College, she had honed her skills as a feisty, hard working critical thinker, whose interests extended to politics and other social issues.

She moved into an apartment in Tudor City with her friend Cathy Calvert and worked for Conde Naste Publications. She modeled for the Ford Agency! From there she began her career in television production. Liz spent 10 years with NBC before making the critical move to Washington in 1987 to The McNeill Lehrer Report. There she deeply involved herself in her work winning the respect and friendship of her colleagues. She traveled the globe and received awards for a number of her documentaries! This special relationship with the News Hour provided a home base for Liz. It was this special relationship that came to her assistance in her final days with us.

Liz’s social life never suffered her journalism. She was warm, outgoing and made friends easily. Her close friend, Mary Bagwell said that Liz had a certain vulnerability that made others want to take care of her. Perhaps she occasionally locked herself out of her home, or left a wallet behind in a restaurant or forgot where she had parked the car. You might have even entered her home to be greeted by Louise, her dog with a loaf of bread in her mouth. Regardless, it was always fun, as well as part of the experience of spending time with my sister.

She and Mary and a group of friends started the Pan Elgin Society, a secret sorority dedicated to fun and celebration. They met at one another’s homes or reserved the best tables at Washington restaurants. Evenings often began by someone calling another saying, “There’s an emergency cocktail party tonight, pass the word!”

And then came the joy of her life…Gaby! Whenever I called and asked about her daughter, Liz would invariably answer, “Gaby’s delicious!” or “She’s a pistol!” Their lifestyle could not be described as ordinary. But then there was nothing ordinary about this mother and child. They were exceptional! Everywhere they went people would stop and ask about the beautiful child who would answer, “I’m Gaby, what’s your name?” Every dog in Georgetown had a friend in Gaby.

But as storm clouds crossed the sky this year and Liz faced increasing difficulties, the real legacy of my sister emerged. People who had known her from childhood, from school, from New York and from Washington reached out to her. The hearts of so many she had touched over the years responded to the heart of a loving mother and friend in need. There were so many visitors, wellwishers, and great stories. I am astounded by the impact her life had on others and how warmly they spoke of her. At the hospital Thene Martin said, “I am here today because I know she would be here for me.”

There is no greater tribute that can be afforded a human being than that they loved and were loved by so many. Christine Delissio of the News Hour, told me that it was Liz’s down to earth, affable manner that won other’s trust and confidence. In a note received at the hospital, Shelly Rogers, another old friend wrote Liz, “ I’ve been thinking about what a wonderful person you are. I guess that’s why so many people love you. You have a great heart and a great soul.” Shelly quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

Liz was a true blue human being. She marched to her own drummer. She celebrated her life. She felt the same joy and sorrow that we all experience and she proved without a doubt that hard work, caring, loyalty and friendship could create a life for herself and her daughter that all would dare emulate.

On behalf of Gabriella Callan, John Callan and myself, I would like to acknowledge the following:

Cindy and Dennis Flannery and their children. Thank you for your courage, your generosity and your kindness to Gaby during her mother’s illness.

Suzie and Dick Grote. Thank you for your enormous support of Liz and Gaby over the years. Your commitment to Gaby’s welfare made so many things possible.

Suzanne, Sean and Roger Segalla. Thank you for your huge hearts in accepting Gaby into your lives.

Mary Bagwell and Lou Salerno. Thank you for your friendship and loyalty to Liz over the years, for caring for her home during her illness, and for the kind hospitality you extended to John and I.

Tom Langman. Thank you for being a caring friend to Liz. Your assistance to Liz was invaluable.

The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. Your treatment of Liz as a family member was so inspiring. If more organizations respected their employees as you did Liz, we would be living in a far greater society!

Tom O’Connor. Your ruthless compassion and your unwavering commitment to Liz and Gaby’s welfare will never be forgotten.

Maryanne Lane, Anne Tuohy, and Barbara Lane McBride. Your love and caring for Liz over so many years and in so many ways is a role model for friendship to all of us.

And finally I’d like to thank you Liz.

Thank you for being such a great mother. Thank you for being such a great sister. Thank you for being such a great friend. You have touched us all with your kindness, your generosity and your enthusiasm for life.

I say to you today, that we will join in whatever way we can in the care and support of your beloved Gabriella. That one day, she will grow to be a strong, compassionate, joyful woman in her own right, as you were in yours.

I thank you for making such an enormous difference in our lives. I love you and if I know you, Lizzie Callan, you will be keeping in touch with all of us for the rest of our lives.

God bless you!

This was the eulogy given by Ned Callan, Liz's brother, at St. Joseph's Church in Garden City, NY.