Catching up with
Professor Emeritus Callihan

(as it appeared in the Spring 2001 Alumni Newsletter)

	Dr. Clayton Callihan today

Many alumni who attended LSU Chemical Engineering between 1963 and 1983 should remember Dr. Clayton Callihan. Much of his research focused on finding new sources of energy, mainly from organic substances; spending the fall of 1980 at Lincoln College in New Zealand to participate in a pilot program to convert fodder beets to alcohol, and even experimenting with the conversion of potato canning wastes to methane fuel.

Dr. Callihan remembers his 20 years at LSU with fondness, especially the dedication of his students. He says that someone once asked how his students studied under him, and he replied, "Heck, they study without me!" He recalls the students at LSU as some of the nicest he had ever met, and enjoyed working and playing with them while he was here.

After leaving LSU, Dr. Callihan spent 12 years involved in expert witness testimony for various companies. Then he says in 1995, he "threw in the towel" and retired to Florida, where he and his brother started a company that manufactured fiberglass re-bars for cement reinforcement in wet and humid climates.

These days, he is fully retired, and the only event on his daily schedule is a two-mile walk on the beach - just a block away from his home in Jupiter, Florida - "to enjoy the sunshine, fresh air, and to feel that breeze off the ocean," he says. Dr. Callihan is also working on a design for a jet engine that would use and recycle superheated water, instead of jet fuel. He says he would be glad to hear from any of his former students; and you can reach him by e-mail at callihan@bellsouth.net.