Local businessman L. Hardwick Caldwell Jr. Local businessman L. Hardwick Caldwell Jr. died Sunday at the age of 92.
Caldwell was a prominent figure in the community, spending his whole life at Lookout Mountain, Tenn. He was a McCallie School graduate in 1940 and went on to serve in World War II.
“Hardwick filled a room,” said Dan Bowers, president of ArtsBuild. He knew Caldwell since the late 1980s. “He was that quintessential larger than life character. It all sounds like cliches, but it’s true. He’d never been a stranger, he befriended everyone, he cared deeply, he was just the total package.”
After serving in the military, Caldwell came back to the area to help with the family business, Tennessee Stove Works. He was on the board of several companies and was Chairman of the Board of McCallie School from 1990-1992.
He was a descendant of the Caldwell family, which has been in the area since 1782. He was described as a sportsman who went by “Hardy” or “Hardrock” to his friends.