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
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