BOONE, N.C. — Each year, the Appalachian State University College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) presents the Outstanding Alumni Award to graduates who have distinguished themselves through remarkable contributions to their profession, leadership, public service, outstanding creative endeavors, or other significant accomplishments.
This year, CAS is pleased to recognize Maxine Cooper McCall ’60, ’65 as the recipient of the 2026 Outstanding Alumni Award. McCall’s lifelong commitment to education, theatre, and community service exemplifies the spirit of the award.
McCall graduated from Appalachian State Teacher’s College (ASTC) in 1960 with a bachelor’s degree in English and library science, and again in 1965 with a master’s degree in English. Her 40-year span of work as an educator in public education and church ministries has taken many twists and turns: teacher, ordained minister, administrator, author, historian, consultant, and philanthropist. But in every stage of her life’s journey, one Golden Thread has continually emerged: theatre.
McCall’s innate talent for theatre became a passion at ASTC and took root as an integral part of her approach to life and teaching. Experiencing the magic and power of theatre — at that time under the purview of the Department of English — captured her imagination in ways that went beyond “performance.” She saw theatre as a tool to enliven learning in the classroom and a powerful change agent to develop latent abilities in students and adults.
Those insights became embedded in her design and implementation of a four-year pilot program of advanced English and humanities for academically gifted students in Burke County; direction of school and community productions of Broadway musicals and the outdoor drama From This Day Forward; and oversight of curriculum development and teacher training programs in Burke County Schools for grades K–12 in language arts, gifted programs, and second languages.
Since McCall’s retirement, theatre has been a focus of many projects undertaken at Appalachian State University for the Department of English, Department of Theatre and Dance, and University Libraries. In collaboration with the chairs and faculty members of those departments:
a dramatic mural now graces a prominent wall of Sanford Hall.
funds honoring former English professor and playwright David Hodgin allow the English faculty to award prizes for creative writing.
funds honoring former reference librarian Allie Hodgin ’34 annually support the library’s Special Collections or special events.
dance studios and office spaces have been revitalized.
three McCall scholarships are awarded annually for education majors to learn theatre techniques for teaching in grades K–5, 6–8, or 9–12.
the Valborg Theater now boasts a piano and updated lighting and sound equipment.
a renovated orchestra pit once again allows collaboration between Theatre and Dance and the Hayes School of Music to stage Broadway musicals.
McCall has served on the governing boards of several local (Burke County), state, and national nonprofit organizations. At App State, she served on the Advisory Board for the Department of Theatre and Dance and has been honored with membership in the Rhododendron Society, Bell Ringers Society, and Chancellor’s Society.
Other involvements include:
the Board of Trustees for Anderson University in Indiana (15 years).
North Carolina Ministries Coordinator for the Church of God (20 years) — the first woman in the nation to hold that position.
the Board of Directors for Warner Press (6 years).
founding director of the North Carolina Delta Kappa Gamma Educational Foundation (15 years) — awarding grants and scholarships to North Carolina educators, with App State education majors being frequent recipients.
consultant for the newly organized Drexel Museum.
theater facilities consultant for the Burke Arts Council and the Historic Burke Courthouse in Morganton.
Since 2020, McCall has served as president of the North Carolina Society of Historians (NCSH), which annually recognizes individuals and organizations for significant projects that preserve the history and heritage of the state. Entries with App State connections have won the NCSH President’s Award for entries of exceptional merit: Dr. Leslie McKesson ’93, ’09, ’16 and her class of honors history students won in 2023 for their detailed research and dramatic portrayal of real people (including enslaved people) who once lived and worked on the Charles McDowell plantation near Morganton, and in 2025, the honor went to Doris Perry Stam for her book, D.D. Dougherty, Lillie Dougherty and the Early Years of Appalachian State.
McCall will be formally recognized at App State’s 2026 Alumni Awards Gala on Saturday, July 11, in the Grandview Ballroom of the North End Zone Facility.
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About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Appalachian State University is home to 17 academic departments, two centers and one residential college. These units span the humanities and the social, mathematical, and natural sciences. CAS aims to develop a distinctive identity built upon our university's strengths, traditions, and unique location. The college’s values lie not only in service to the university and local community, but through inspiring, training, educating, and sustaining the development of its students as global citizens. More than 6,800 student majors are enrolled in the college. As the college is also largely responsible for implementing App State’s general education curriculum, it is heavily involved in the education of all students at the university, including those pursuing majors in other colleges. Learn more about the College of Arts and Sciences
Maxine Cooper McCall ’60, ’65. Photo submitted.
Maxine Cooper McCall ’60, ’65. Photo submitted.