David Daniel McCall

ORANGEBURG -- David Daniel McCall, 92, of Orangeburg, passed away peacefully on Friday, August 30, at his home, surrounded by family and his loving wife, Louise Hales McCall. Visitation services will be held on Wednesday evening, September 4, from 6:00 until 8:00 PM at the Dukes Harley Funeral Home on Columbia Road in Orangeburg. Funeral services will be held in the Chapel at Dukes Harley on Thursday, September 5, at 11:00 AM, with Reverend Chuck Byrd officiating. Pallbearers will be his three grandsons Brian McCall, Chasen McCall, Dr. Buckley McCall and friends Wayne Wells, Wayne Geddings, and Jackson Black.
David was a life-time member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the South Carolina Society of Engineers. His career in tool manufacturing began soon after World War II in his hometown of Lufkin, TX at the Lufkin Foundry and Machine Company, famous for the horse-head pumps seen in oil fields worldwide and for Lufkin trailers, common among long-haul truckers. In the early 1950s, David moved his young family to Aiken, SC, where he joined E. I. DuPont at the Savannah River Nuclear Site to produce heavy water and tritium for the Atomic Energy Commission. David's position in the Projects Department required a Top Secret, Special Category clearance, also known as a "Q" clearance, which allowed him access to sensitive data and restricted areas. He was onsite in 1955 when C Reactor, the Site's first reactor, went critical and when H Canyon began radioactive operations.
In 1970, David and a partner bought Still-Walter Tool and Manufacturing Company in Orangeburg. Still-Walter took the lead and worked closely with Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College to establish an apprenticeship program that produced some of the most highly skilled machinist in the Region. Still-Walter was soon serving the nuclear industry, specifically the Savannah River Site and the Hanford Works in Washington state, with mission critical machine products. In the early 2000's, when the Savannah River Site began its shutdown of K and L Reactors, Still-Walter Tool was instrumental in the design and fabrication of a prototype container for the Department of Energy to store spent nuclear fuel. Over the years, Still-Walter's business expanded to provide a variety of industries throughout the United States with high quality machine products. When David and his partner sold Still-Walter Tool in 2005, they both retired.
David was well-traveled, having visited Europe, Asia, and Latin America. He was also an avid golfer. He was a member of the Orangeburg Country Club and the Calhoun County Country Club, where he served as a Board member for many years. While he loved his work, he also loved to square dance. He and his wife, Louise, were inducted into the South Carolina Square Dance Federation Hall of Fame in 2003.
David is survived by his wife, his three sons: Ronald J. McCall (Jan), of Edisto Beach, Robert David McCall (Bodhana), of Charleston, and Richard Lee McCall (Mary), of Charleston; three granddaughters: Ansley McCall, Jessica Hirshorn, and Caileigh McCall; and five great-grandchildren.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.dukesharleyfuneralhome.com or https://www.facebook.com/Dukes-Harley-Funeral-Home-and-Crematory-304968586272868