Orange Grove Center will honor local attorney Tom Caldwell with a Living Legends dinner on Friday, Oct. 13 at the Chattanoogan Hotel. Caldwell served the agency and its population for 64 years.
The event will also function as a fundraiser for Orange Grove through ticket sales and a silent art auction.
Caldwell was born in 1924 and served in the Navy through WWII before pursuing a law degree at Harvard.
He then enjoyed a long, successful career in Chattanooga.
After joining the Jaycees, Caldwell became involved with a group of parents interested in starting a school for children born with disabilities, which the state considered “uneducable.” He wrote the charter for Orange Grove.
Orange Grove Center opened its doors in October 1953 for an initial class of some 30 students. As states developed educational programs for children with disabilities, Orange Grove focused on serving its growing adult population through job training programs and local employment opportunities.
Through it all, Caldwell was there. “His service to this population and to Orange Grove has been a significant factor in our success and ongoing ability to meet the changing needs of those we serve,” says Heidi Hoffecker, development director at Orange Grove. “He is a living legend in our community, not just for his dedication to Orange Grove but also for his commitment to his chosen profession.”
Orange Grove serves 1,000 children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Source: Orange Grove