Phyllis and Joseph (Joe) Callicott

Sometimes, obtaining one’s desired education, along with meeting and marrying the true love of your life, involves frequent moves from one part of the United States to another.  Such is the story of Phyllis and Joe Callicott.  Phyllis, after graduating from Hampton High School in Hampton, Virginia, received a Registered Nurse diploma from the School of Nursing at the University of Virginia.  She then practiced as an RN for a while before deciding to obtain her BS in Nursing at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Nursing. 

Joe grew up in Tennessee and North Carolina, finishing high school at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN.  He obtained his undergraduate and medical education at UNC-Chapel Hill and they met during Joe’s senior year of medical school.  From UNC Joe went to Rochester, New York, to begin an internship (today called a residency), while Phyllis remained in NC and completed the last year in her bachelor’s of science program.  

Love won out.  They married in Rochester and over the next few years their place of residency depended upon the location of Joe’s advanced medical training.  From Rochester they returned to Chapel Hill for one year, followed by two years with the United States Army at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.  Once discharged, Joe completed his studies at the Medical College of Virginia.  In 1968, with Joe now a certified pathologist, the couple, and children, moved to Lynchburg where Joe joined Pathology Consultants of Central Virginia.  He retired in 1998.

As the Callicotts moved from one place to another, Phyllis held a variety of nursing positions—traditional, emergency room, and public health.  With the birth of the first of three sons, Phyllis turned her skills to raising children and managing a household.  Oldest son Joe and his wife Susan live in Bethesda, Maryland, and have two daughters, one an adult and the other a teenager.  Ken, their third son, is single and resides in Tucson, Arizona.   Second son Philip and his wife Sara and their two young children live in Blacksburg, Virginia

Both Phyllis and Joe have a number of interests.  Phyllis’s favorites are bridge and gardening; she plans to continue playing bridge with her Tuesday morning group and perhaps with some new games at Westminster Canterbury.   Joe enjoys golf, reading, and riding his bicycle.  Currently, he is rereading some of the classics he enjoyed during his student days.  Once completely unpacked and settled in their new home, Joe plans to relearn the game of bridge so he can join Phyllis for a game or two.   Regarding how Joe spends his time, he will continue working for Habitat for Humanity two days a week, an activity that started 17 years ago.