Catching up with Professor Emeritus
Callihan
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. Clayton Callihan today
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.
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