Masterpieces of Jay O'Callahan at Clemson University

By Joseph Godsey
Reprinted from The Tiger

Take a brilliant, captivating theatrical performance and couple it with a story filled with heroism and glory, and you will barely come close to the storytelling masterpieces of Jay O'Callahan. A recent visitor to our campus, O'Callahan was here for the Spring Honor's Colloquium sponsored by the Calhoun Honors College.

In a search for a way to expose students to enthusiastic speakers with influential stories on life, the college brought O'Callahan to the campus this past weekend. During his stay, O'Callahan held a workshop on Saturday. On Monday night, he told one of his most renowned stories to an audience at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. His trip here will not soon be forgotten by students or faculty alike.

Michelle Malecha, a Clemson student, described the event perfectly when she said, "O'Callahan's stories were brilliant. Informative and captivating, they brought to life World War II, making it extremely realistic. O'Callahan is very talented; his whole body, face, gestures and entire being go into every thought and move."

To an unknowing audience, storytelling is merely a theatrical solo that takes you through a simple scripted story. During O'Callahan's visit, he proved this to be far from true. O'Callahan illustrates how storytelling is a search for the beauty in life.

Monday night started off at a brisk pace as O'Callahan told a mystic tale of a giant Druid, an old Irishman, a poet and a minstrel. Establishing the tone for the night, the story captivated the audience as the characters came to life under O'Callahan's magic touch.

With a perfect, bold Irish accent, the old man (played through O'Callahan) warned a minstrel as he threatened to step across "the line drawn on the ground." The line indicated the last place before an unwary traveler would be trapped against the unwavering power of the giant Druid. After losing two travelers to the whim of the Druid, the old man begins to sob over their deaths. Narrowly escaping the wrath of the Druid by climbing a gigantic wall, the poet and the minstrel return to the old man's cottage to tell the story of their journey. Honoring the old man by a sweet song, the minstrel winds the story down with a simple, but powerful conclusion: We cross many lines in life toward a journey for a greater destination.

Crossing lines and opening doors was a theme of his next tale: a story about O'Callahan's uncle, named "Father Joe." A personal tale of learning and understanding, O'Callahan conveyed both the humanity and horror of the time. Framed through a variety of narrators, or characters in the story, O'Callahan showed how he learned from his uncle, both in his times of trial and through his knowledgeable words of advice.

On March 19, 1945, the U.S.S. Franklin was left dead in the water after a brutal Japanese airforce attack. With 1,000 sailors dead and another 1,000 in the water, the U.S.S. Franklin was nearing its resting place. Joe O'Callahan finds himself onboard with a bunch of frantic and burned sailors. Realizing that his helmet, embossed with a cross, was the only form of distinction of a ranking officer on deck, Joseph T. O'Callahan took charge among the chaos and destruction. He became the leader of the crew despite his claustrophobia and old age; Simply put, Father Joe became a hero.

O'Callahan juxtaposed the dramatic WWII story with a personal perspective from his own life. O'Callahan traveled to college, following Father Joe's return from the military. He had begun studies at The College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., where his uncle was a well respected professor in math, philosophy, and physics. Through repeated visits to his uncle while at school, O'Callahan was passed many words of wisdom, sometimes willingly, but most often they were unheeded.

Through a continual transition between these two "worlds," O'Callahan demonstrated how his uncle served as an inspiration and teacher to him, while also being a hero to all aboard the U.S.S. Franklin. The story comes to a dramatic close as O'Callahan describes a visit to the crowning of a new ship; the one and only U.S.S. O'Callahan. Years following his uncle's death, O'Callahan describes this event full of passion and energy. As a ranking officer whistles his command, the ship "comes alive" with activity as the sailors whirl to life on the ship. Creating a visual effect hardly imaginable, it is clear that Father Joe's legacy will now live forever.

Just like his uncle's words of wisdom, O'Callahan's story effects the avid listener in the same respect. Both turn into life with an optimistic outlook on the beauty around us, realizing that chasing your dreams and passions in life will suitably endow you with all that life has to offer.

February 16, 2001

Reprinted from The Tiger