Chapter Leader Profile: Mike Callaham Growing up, Mike Callaham got an up-close view of the OSU campus when his sister attended the university. “Kathy would regularly bring me to Stillwater, particularly when I had school breaks, but OSU was still in session,” Callaham says. “She would sneak me into Murray Hall where she lived, and I’d get to walk around campus while she was in class. It was then that my appreciation of OSU began.” Callaham graduated from Jay High School in 1983 and came straight to OSU on an ROTC scholarship. “Unfortunately, I enjoyed the atmosphere in Stillwater more than the lectures and books,” he says. “After one year, I found myself without a scholarship and with some unhappy parents.” Callaham left OSU for a tour in the Army. When he returned to Oklahoma, he knew it was time to finish what he had already started. Callaham lived in and worked at OSU’s Iba Hall, which was known as the “graduate house” at the time. “I also worked as a cadet officer for the OSU Police Department. That meant I got to work security for many athletic events, which was wonderful.” Callaham says there was never a question of choosing his major. During his military service, he was selected to attend the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., where he studied basic German. He was later stationed in Germany. “In addition to majoring in German, I earned minors in international business and economics. I figured that combination would get me back to Germany.” His plan faced one obstacle: love. “I met Karagene while living in Iba Hall,” Callaham says. “She was working on her master’s and was in Army ROTC. We became friends and ran with the same crowd. It was nothing more than that until I found out that she was going to be a December graduate and be out of my life earlier than I had expected. That bothered me tremendously.” Callaham persuaded Karagene Thompson to take the next step in the relationship. One night at Theta Pond, he asked her to take the final step. “I called her up at 11 p.m. and told her she needed to get dressed because I was taking her out for a picnic. She thought it sounded crazy, but agreed. Shortly after, we were eating chilled fruit and cheese by candle light on a blanket by Theta Pond.” As the clock struck midnight, violin music surprised Karagene. “As she turned, our friend came around Willard Hall in full tuxedo, playing the violin,” Callaham says. “When she asked what was going on, I asked her to stand. I took one knee and asked her to marry me. After receiving the correct response, I
took out a dozen red roses, a bottle of champagne and two glasses I had hidden, and we toasted our future.” This spring, the couple will celebrate their 20th anniversary. Callaham received his bachelor’s in 1996. When the Army later transferred Callahams to New York City, they became involved in the New York City Chapter of the OSU Alumni Association. “It was completely unexpected,” he says. “In some ways, that location felt more foreign than my time in Europe. Reaching out to fellow Cowboys was the logical way to deal with our apprehension, and I am so glad I did.” Callaham served as the chapter’s president, and the watch parties quickly began to grow at Stillwater Bar & Grill in New York City. Besides cheering on the Cowboys, the chapter started hosting other activities. “As a group we began doing cultural dinners, holding chili cook-offs, attending baseball games and the New York Philharmonic in Central Park. We also began hosting receptions for visiting OSU students, holding fundraisers for disaster victims, reaching out to New York City high schools as OSU ambassadors and establishing scholarships for those students.” After another Army transfer, the Callahams ended up in Virginia. “The Alumni Association provided a map showing the distribution of hundreds of alumni from Richmond to Virginia Beach,” Callaham says. “We had enough alumni to run a chapter, but — Mike Callaham being so widely dispersed made watch parties problematic. The solution was establishing a single chapter with multiple watch party locations.” Callaham became the chapter leader again, this time for Southeast Virginia Chapter. During the football season, the chapter hosted watch parties in Richmond and Hampton. The chapter took a road trip to support the Cowboy Basketball team against Virginia Tech and even hopes to get a Pistol Pete car tag in the state. “Although we are a brand-new chapter, I am proud of the members who have pulled together and are making a difference,” Callaham says. “We have already raised funds and should be able to support a scholarship next year for an incoming freshman.” Callaham says he will continue to expand the Southeast Virginia Chapter. “My wife has asked me if I plan to start a chapter wherever the Army takes us next,” Callaham says. “I told her if there isn’t one there already, why not? I could be the Johnny Appleseed of the Alumni Association. “She responded by calling me Michael Orangeseed. I kind of like that.”
“Although we are a brand-new chapter, I am proud of the members who have pulled together and are making a difference.”
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