Preston H Callison Sr.

1923 - 2022

Preston H, Callison, Sr
January 22, 1923 - November 25, 2022
Eugene, Oregon - Preston Harvey Callison Sr., formerly of West Columbia SC, died Nov. 25 in Eugene OR. Approaching his 100th birthday, he died of natural causes. No memorial service is planned at this time.
Born on January 22, 1923, in Lexington SC, Preston was the son of the late Tolliver Cleveland Callison and Margaret Reel Callison. He attended South Carolina public schools, graduated from Lexington High School, then received an AB from the University of South Carolina and completed his first year of law school in 1942, before serving in the Army Air Force for 40 months during World War II. He returned to the University of South Carolina Law School to earn a law degree in 1947, practicing law at age 24.
While attending the University of South Carolina, Preston met his wife, the late Helen Elizabeth Leppard Callison, through the Baptist Student Union. They married on July 9, 1949 and raised a family of five children in West Columbia. Preston and Helen were active members of First Baptist Church of Columbia for 50 years and then CBF-affiliated St. Andrews Baptist Church.
Preston practiced law in Columbia from 1947-88 and was a founding partner of the Callison Tighe law firm of Columbia. He was General Counsel and legal and legislative consultant for the South Carolina Hospital Association for more than 50 years, and was General Counsel for the South Carolina Baptist Convention and South Carolina Baptist Hospital for more than 40 years.
Throughout his life, Preston was an active layman in the South Carolina Baptist and Southern Baptist conventions. In 1941-42, he was president of the Baptist Student Union (BSU) at the University of South Carolina and the State President of the South Carolina BSU. He was ordained as a deacon at age 26 and served as Chairman of the Board of Deacons of First Baptist Church of Columbia.
Preston was State President of the South Carolina Baptist Convention from 1969-70, also serving as its attorney (1950-88). He was Moderator of the Fairfield Baptist Association.
At the national level, he served on the Stewardship Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention (1959-68; Chairman, 1967-68) and on the SBC Executive Committee (1970-80). He was a trustee for the Southern Baptist Foundation.
In his later years, Preston was a leader in the fledgling, progressive Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF).
As a lifelong advocate of the separation of church and state, Preston demonstrated his belief that Christians should participate in public affairs but that the church should not. He served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives (D-Lexington) in 1965-66 and 1969-70. He ran for Congress in 1965, a time of turmoil over desegregation of schools, as the Democratic nominee for the 2nd Congressional District of South Carolina.
He loved the law, and through his law practice, public service, and lobbying advocated equal rights, opportunity, and access to quality medical care for all people. In addition to lobbying for the South Carolina Hospital Association, he lobbied for the Equal Rights Amendment before the South Carolina Legislature in 1972.
Preston is survived by four daughters, Kathryn Elizabeth "Kate" (Erik) Johnson of Eugene OR, Rebecca Callison of Chicago IL, Dale Patricia Callison of Seattle WA, and Melissa Jane (Richard) Kremer of Macon GA; a son, Preston Harvey (Nancy Winecoff) Callison Jr. of Cranston RI; seven grandchildren, Preston Thomas (Anna) Callison of Beaverton OR, Jessica Anne Callison of Cranston RI; William Stewart (Arielle) Kremer of Augusta GA; Mark Callison (Amanda) Kremer of Vineyard UT; Clara Melissa Kremer of Charlotte NC; Caryn Rose (Nathanael Stice) Pipinich of The Dalles OR; and Maxwell Craig Pipinich of Kansas City MO; five great-grandsons and one long-awaited great-granddaughter - the first "little Callison girl" of the next generation, born in March.
In 2010, Preston and Helen moved to Eugene to be near their daughter Kate. Although he remained a South Carolinian at heart, Preston took great joy in the fertile green fields, buttes, and wispy clouds of Eugene's farm country and the beautiful Oregon Coast and mountains, and in the frequent visits of children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
Memorial contributions in Preston's honor may be made to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in Atlanta GA (at cbf.net/give, or mail to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, PO Box 102972, Atlanta GA 30368-2976) or to Sacred Heart Hospice (677 E 12th Ave, Suite N110, Eugene OR 97401).