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Retired Minister Virgil Caldwell died today
If all there was to tell about the Rev. Dr. Virgil Caldwell was that he pastored New Monumental Baptist Church for 40 years, it would be a lot.
Throughout his tenure, the congregation -- located on Eighth Street during 33 of those years -- was one of the largest and most influential black churches in the city. In 2001, he helped engineer a swap with two other entities that would allow his congregation to move from Eighth Street to newer, larger and more parking friendly facilities in Woodmore.
But Caldwell, who was pastor emeritus at New Monumental when he died last week at the age of 84, was more than a pastor. Infinitely more.
The direct but soft-spoken Jackson, Tenn., native -- and son of a pastor -- also was the author of 18 books and nearly 25 plays. He is the artist on three albums of piano and saxophone music. Locally, he also played saxophone in the Chattanooga Gospel Orchestra.
When one of his plays was being staged locally in 2011, Caldwell was typically self-deprecating about the honor.
"You just get inspired," he said.
Caldwell, a Korean War veteran, also had served as moderator of the Chattanooga District Association and president of the Tennessee Baptist Missionary & Educational Convention. He also wrote Sunday school literature for more than 20 years for the National Baptist Convention.
In addition, he was one of the leaders in the coalition that persuaded the city to change the name of Ninth Street to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the early 1980s.
Before coming to New Monumental, he had been a public school social studies teacher, choir director and band instructor at Union City, Tenn.
Chattanoogans should be glad this Renaissance man devoted his last 47 years to our city.