By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
City Council paid tribute Thursday night to the late Frank McCall, a former member of Ocean City’s governing body whose career in Cape May County politics and government service spanned more than 30 years.
At the start of their meeting, the Council members bowed their heads to observe a minute of silence in McCall’s memory. McCall, 73, died Oct. 4 at his Ocean City home surrounded by family members, according to his obituary.
He was remembered by the Council members as a consummate gentleman who distinguished himself in politics, government service and in athletics as a basketball player for Villanova University in the 1960s.
“Frank was always so, so nice. He was just a wonderful man,” Council President Bob Barr said.
In the political arena, McCall served as mayor of Wildwood Crest before becoming an Ocean City councilman. He held office in Wildwood Crest from 1981 to 1989 and was mayor from 1985 to 1989. He served on the Ocean City Council from 1998 to 2006 and was president of the governing body from 1999 to 2001, according to his biography.
His career in government service included working as Cape May County’s emergency management coordinator, 911 coordinator and Public Works road manager.
His time in politics ended when he lost his bid for re-election to City Council in 2010 during a seven-man race for three open seats. Councilman Keith Hartzell, who was one of the winners in the 2010 race, recalled that McCall fell just 17 votes short of being re-elected.
Hartzell and Councilman Michael DeVlieger both called McCall a “real gentleman” who remained a major figure in the community even after his political career ended.
“He was a guy who didn’t hold a grudge,” Hartzell said. “He always had the best interests of the city at heart.”
DeVlieger noted that even when McCall disagreed with someone, he did so in a gentlemanly manner.
“That is a thing that is pretty uncommon these days,” DeVlieger said.
Councilman Tom Rotondi said he appreciated McCall’s advice and McCall would serve as a sounding board for his ideas.
“He was always a gentleman. He always had good advice,” Rotondi said. “He was always a good counterbalance to ideas I had.”
Councilwoman Karen Bergman, who knew McCall for a long time, fondly remembered his sense of humor.
“He will be missed,” Bergman said. “He was quite a character. He made me laugh. He was a big part of this community for many years.”
McCall’s wife, Beverly, is an attorney who serves as a board member of the Ocean City Housing Authority.
Although McCall was best known for his political and government careers, the Council members said another major accomplishment of his included playing basketball at powerhouse Villanova University. A listing of Villanova’s teams over the years shows that McCall played from 1966 to 1969.
Barr said one of his favorite memories of McCall was when McCall was playing basketball about 20 years ago against some much younger players in Ocean City and made them “look silly.”
Born on Jan. 20, 1947 in Philadelphia, McCall graduated from Bishop McDevitt High School and Villanova. He worked as a realtor at Weichert Realtors, The Asbury Group, according to his obituary.
In addition to his wife, Beverly, he is survived by his children, Karen, Deborah, Kevin and David. Survivors also include his grandsons, Joseph and Shane, and his sister, Bernadette, along with other relatives and in-laws. Services were private.
