East Tennessee State University’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps will hold a ceremony just before the Jingle Bell 5K on the front steps of Brooks Gym at 9 a.m. on Saturday to name the ROTC Running Club in honor of the late Lt. Col. Joseph Callahan.
The club is open not only to ROTC cadets, but any other students, faculty and staff with an interest in running. The group participates in numerous races during the academic year.
Callahan graduated from ETSU in 1969, when he also received his commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. While a student, he served the Student Government Association as a senator and representative, and he also set intramural track records.
After training in the Quarter Master Basic Course and Airborne School, Callahan received additional instruction in a parachute pack and airdrop course.
During his career, Callahan served in Fort Campbell, Ky.; Cha Rang Valley in Vietnam; Kaiserslautern, Germany; the Defense Industrial Supply Center in Philadelphia; Taegu, South Korea; Fort Dix, N.J.; and the Defense Logistics Agency in Alexandria, Va.
Callahan studied at Florence State University (now the University of North Alabama) and Rider College in New Jersey to complete a master’s degree.
Upon his retirement in 1990, Callahan was awarded the Department of Defense Superior Service Medal and continued to live in Alexandria with his wife, Carol, and their three sons. He began a second career and worked with the Virginia Employment Commission for the next 20 years.
Callahan’s widow and their son, James Callahan, will be in attendance.
For further information, contact the ETSU Department of Military Science at (423) 439-4269. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at (423) 439-8346.