H. Carl McCall ’58

What I've learned since graduation

"I CAN'T ACCEPT THAT I MIGHT BE BARREDFROM ANYTHING I WANT TO DO BECAUSEOF MY COLOR. If I thought that, I wouldn't be able to get up in the morning. I think a lot of that goes back to Dartmouth. I felt it was an institution with very talented, ambitious people. I was able to compete in that environment. I was able to do well in that environment and that gave me a sense of confidence."

"IF YOU WANT TO GET ELECTED AND STAY IN OFFICE, YOU'VE GOT TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE RESPONSIVE. As chairman of the dormitory committee of Woodward ward Hall, I learned that taking care of constituents was the way to political success. People in the dorm came to me if they had a problem and I tried to intercede and be an advocate for them. And that's what I've done the rest of my life in politics."

"GETTING ARRESTED THE WEEK BEFORE MY FIRST ELECTION TURNED OUT VERY POSITIVE FOR ME. It sent a message that I wasn't just this Ivy League kid from Boston. Here's what happened: I was running for the state Senate from the Upper West Side of Manhattan in 1975. At night, volunteers put up signs along Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. One night I went with them. On the way home we saw my opponent and some of his friends tearing our posters down. We got in a little scuffle, and I got arrested because there was a guy who got bloodied. Actually, he had a can of glue in his hand that he was using to put up their signs. He swung the glue at me and it fell. And then he slipped in the glue and fell and hit himself. I never touched him. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!"

"MOVING is A TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE. I lived on the Upper West Side [ of Manhattan] for 30 years and just moved to Chelsea with my wife. It's just not the same. So sometimes on Saturdays I come all the way back up to the West Side just to walk around, because it's so familiar to me."

"AS A POLITICIAN, YOU'VE GOT TO INVEST MONEY IN MEDIA if you want to get your message across in a large state where people are flooded with information."

"WE'VE GOT TO CHANGE THE WAY WE FINANCE CAMPAIGNS. Money should not be the most important ingredient. I've learned that, I've tried to change it and I've been frustrated in terms of changing laws. It's very tough when you have to raise millions of dollars in order to be a public servant. I myself have had to become involved in these intense, almost obscene fundraising efforts."

"I BELIEVE IN PUBLIC SERVICE. I am committed to it."

"WHY SHOULDN'T I RUN FOR GOVERNOR? Given the depth of experience I've had, given my success in getting more votes last election than anyone else in the state, including the governor... I haven't declared officially. But I've certainly given it serious consideration, so most people think I'm going to."

JOB TITLE: Comptroller of the State of New York WHAT HE DOES: Chief fiscal officer and chief auditor of the state; sole trustee of the state's $127-billlion retirement system WHAT HE WANTS TO DO: Be governor of New York NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS: Elected in 1994, re-elected in 1998; McCall is the only African-American elected to statewide office in New York COLLEGE MAJOR: Government