McCall, David B.

Advertising executive and humanitarian; originator of the idea for the children's educational television series Schoolhouse Rock.

From the description of David B. McCall papers, 1939-1999 and undated bulk 1980-1994. (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 72682889

• 1928 Mar. 13: Born in New York City
• 1940 - 1941 : Attended Indian Mountain School (Lakeville Conn.); member of Editorial Board of the school publication, The Scop (sic)
• 1942 - 1945 : Attended The Hotchkiss School (Lakeville, Conn.)
• 1945 - 1946 : Attended The Collegiate School (New York, N.Y.)
• 1946 - 1947 : Stationed with the U.S. Army of Occupation, Japan. Attained rank of Private First Class
• 1948: Entered Yale University. Dropped out after one year
• 1950: Began work at Young & Rubicam advertising agency, first in the mail room and later as a copy writer
• 1951: Joined Ogilvy, Benson & Mather (OBM) advertising agency. Advanced to become chief copy writer
• 1953: Joined the David J. Mahoney, Inc. agency as chief copy writer
• 1955: Rejoined Ogilvy, Benson & Mather
• 1960: Became copy chief at Ogilvy, Benson & Mather
• 1960: Promoted to Senior Vice President and Director at Ogilvy, Benson & Mather
• 1962: Left Ogilvy, Benson & Mather, along with fellow OBM executive James McCaffrey, to take over the C.J. LaRoche & Co. agency. C.J. LaRoche renamed LaRoche, McCaffrey & McCall
• 1964: Part-time speech writer for John Lindsay (then Mayor of New York)
• 1967: Chester LaRoche retired from LaRoche, McCaffrey & McCall. The company continued to include him in its name until 1972.
• 1969: LaRoche, McCaffrey & McCall became a publicly-traded company
• 1971: Worked on a campaign to unsell the U.S. war in Vietnam
• 1972: LaRoche, McCaffrey & McCall renamed McCaffrey & McCall
• 1973: Developed the idea for Schoolhouse Rock!, an award-winning children's television series that used music to teach math and other skills
• 1973 - 1988 : Chairman, C.E.O. and Creative Director, McCaffrey & McCall, Inc.
• 1988: Retired from McCaffrey & McCall; named Chairman Emeritus
• 1989 - 1993 : Partner, Sawyer Miller Group, a communications and public relations firm
• 1992: Joined Refugees International as an aid worker and contributor
• 1993: Left Sawyer Miller Group; named Chairman of public relations firm Shepardson Stern & Kaminsky
• 1999 Apr. 18: Died in an automobile accident during an aid mission in Albania

From the guide to the David B. McCall Papers, 1939-1999 and undated, bulk 1980-1994, (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)