Donald McCallum

Master of Ceremonies, The Central Florida Scottish Highland Games

Donald McCallum, Master of Ceremonies (MC) for the Central Florida Scottish Highland Games and the Dunedin Scottish Highland Games, has a long history with the Scottish-American Society. His father, Andrew Burton McCallum, wanted to learn more about his ancestry because he knew his ancestor, Duncan McCallum, had migrated from Campbelltown, Scotland to Canada. To do so, Andrew attended the Grandfather Mountain Scottish Highland Games in Linville, North Carolina. There, he discovered no McCallum clan, so Andrew requested and received permission from the hereditary chief to create the McCallum/ Malcolm Society in 1971. Andrew also became a founding member of the Scottish-American Society of Central Florida and the first Central Florida Scottish Highland Games. Growing up, Donald was always immersed in his Scottish culture. He learned the Scottish bagpipes and Scottish Highland dancing. He competed in both events in many of the Highland Games. Donalds involvement in the games led him to become a part of the volunteer leadership team in the Scottish-American Highland Games and the St. Andrews Society of Central Florida, a fraternal, social, educational, cultural, philanthropic and charitable organization that encourages an interest in the history and traditions of Scotland and its heritage. Donald has been a charter member, manager and President of St. Andrews Society. In addition, he was elected MC for the Central Florida Scottish Highland Games in 1996 and MC for the Dunedin Scottish Highland Games in 2001. Donald has been MC of both events since and participated in the Mount Dora Scottish Festival and Night of the Scot concert as MC this year. Not only has Donald pursued his Scottish heritage on a volunteer basis, but he has used his love of the Scottish culture in his career. In 1985, he was hired by Walt Disney Productions to play in the Caledonia Pipe Band at EPCOT. He, then, created the Scottish character Jock MacKay (Mac EYE) and entertained guests on the bagpipes, singing, dancing and with Scottish humor until the fall of 2001 when the character was eliminated due to budget cuts. Beginning in 1985, Donald was the Master of Ceremonies for Scottish celebrations at EPCOT, which lasted until 2007. He continues to share his love of Scottish culture through volunteer and work efforts; increasing awareness and giving others a chance to learn about their ancestry.