'Titan' helped build up Six Flags Over Texas

By ANDREA AHLES

aahles@star-telegram.com

COLLEYVILLE — Steve Calloway spoke softly, but he loved to hear other people scream.

As general manager of Six Flags Over Texas for 11 years, Mr. Calloway was responsible for bringing in many of the rides the park has today, including the Titan roller coaster and Superman Tower of Power.

Mr. Calloway, vice president for international projects for Six Flags, died Thursday evening at his Colleyville home. He was 59.

"We have lost a titan," Six Flags Chief Executive Mark Shapiro wrote to employees Friday. "No one knew this business better, its nuances, elements and applications."

Mr. Calloway was born Oct. 27, 1950, and spent his childhood in Georgia. He graduated from Woodward Academy, an Atlanta college preparatory school, in 1968.

He started his career with Six Flags "with a broom and a dust pan" that same year, working as a seasonal host at Six Flags Over Georgia. He came to Texas as part of the management team that took over Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston in 1975.

While continuing to work for Six Flags, Mr. Calloway earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Georgia State University in 1985.

He was named general manager of Six Flags St. Louis (called Six Flags Over Mid-America at the time) in 1993.

After two years in St. Louis, Mr. Calloway returned to Texas to become general manager of Six Flags Hurricane Harbor and Six Flags Over Texas, overseeing much of the park’s expansion into thrill rides.

During his tenure, the Arlington park added the Gotham City area with its Batman the Ride and Mr. Freeze roller coasters, revamped the Looney Tunes area and added more family-friendly rides.

For Mr. Calloway, however, it was not just about rides.

"Hopefully, we’re transporting people into an experience and not just another ride," he said a few years ago as park employees installed landscaping around 10 new family attractions and created a display of the 45-plus years of the park’s history.

Mr. Calloway was also a booster of Arlington tourism, serving as Arlington Chamber of Commerce chairman in 2004-05. He often persuaded local leaders to ride roller coasters or take a trip down a water slide to promote the city.

"He had me go out one hot summer day for an hour or two, take tickets from people and tear them in two. It was a lot of fun," said Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck, who remembered Mr. Calloway as an "amazingly generous and intelligent person."

Mr. Calloway was promoted in 2006 to vice president of international projects, helping the company develop park concepts in Dubai and Qatar. Steve Martindale, who succeeded Mr. Calloway as general manager of Six Flags Over Texas, called him an "innovator, visionary, strategist, mentor."

The duo had worked together in St. Louis before Mr. Calloway brought him to Arlington, and Martindale credited him with teaching him about the business.

"I followed Steve back to Texas in 1999 because he never let me settle for anything less than perfect," Martindale said.

In an interview about the park’s 40th anniversary in 2001, Mr. Calloway said: "My job is really to be the steward of the park and not to worry so much about making my mark on it. This is just a wonderful park with a wonderful tradition."

Survivors include his wife, Yvonne Calloway, and sons Craig Calloway and Michael Calloway. Funeral arrangements were incomplete Friday night.

This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.

ANDREA AHLES, 817-390-7631

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