Robert Callahan was a 1949 graduate of Carlisle High School and an Air Force veteran. He later graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dayton in 1959 and worked as a government teacher in the Carlisle Local Schools during the 1960s.
He later graduated with a law degree in 1972 from the Chase College of Law and was the first and only attorney to have his office located in Carlisle. Robert Callahan also served as a member of the Carlisle school board. He died of pancreatic cancer at age 51.
After Trudi Callahan began funding the scholarship, the Carlisle Teachers Association matched the scholarship amount that created a $1,000 award until 2015 while the Callahan family has continued the scholarship for more than 30 years.
“The family is committed to funding the entire $1,000 scholarship but has decided to award it to a Carlisle Middle School student as a tuition grant to Air Camp in Dayton,” said Phil Callahan.
He said he was inspired to change the direction of the scholarship after hearing a presentation about Air Camp at a Miamisburg Rotary Club meeting last year.
“… I was impressed with their concentration on getting younger kids excited about STEM subjects,” Callahan said. “My daughter attended Space Camp when she was in middle school and it is something she talks about to this day. She is now 27. Consequently, I believe sending a young person to Air Camp for a week will have a larger impact on that child’s future than handing a graduating senior $1,000, which may pay for books for a semester or two.”
Callahan said the 2015 scholarship went to Elizabeth Burnes and the 2016 scholarship will be awarded to Ben Allison.
A not-for-profit corporation, Air Camp works directly with Principal Dan Turner to identify a Carlisle Middle School student who would benefit from the experience. Students interested in applying for the scholarship should contact Turner at the middle school.
Modelled after the U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., the Air Camp is a hands-on, educational adventure in aviation and aeronautics. The camp inspires middle school students to learn more about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) using aviation and aerospace as the medium while promoting the values of scholarship, leadership and citizenship.
The Air Camp is the vision of Dayton-area leaders who want to help young people nationwide achieve their potential, develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, and pursue further education and future careers in STEM-related fields, aviation, and aeronautics.
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