Engineering Alum Steve Callanen ’63 ME Designs Plaque to Honor Villanovans Who Sacrificed Their Lives in Vietnam

From left: Kristie Falk, Lynn Burke, Steve Callanen ’63, Col. Vincent Ciuccoli '94, Geroge Diehl '70 and Frank Falcone '70.

For decades, Steve Callenen ’63 ME has made it his mission to honor all the Villanovans who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. Now, with support from colleagues and the University, those 14 men are being recognized with a plaque on display at Falvey Library.

“This project meant a great deal to me, and I spent hundreds of hours working on it,” Callanen said. “Each time I learned about a new gentleman who lost his life in Vietnam, it motivated me to keep going and to find all of them.”

Callanen's interest in civil service started in high school when he took a competitive exam that led to a tuition agreement with the U.S. Navy Department in Washington, D.C. This brought him to Villanova, where he met his wife of 60 years, Sallie Lipan-Callanen ’65 FCN; his brother Thomas Callanen ’67 EE later followed in his footsteps in the College of Engineering. The elder Callanen went on to spend 36 years working at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Carderock, Md.

When he attended his 35th Reunion in 1998, a special Requiem Memorial Mass was held by the Rev. George R. Riley to honor the Villanovans who sacrificed their lives in World War II. The Mass was followed by a dedication ceremony with the keynote speaker Gen. Paul Xavier Kelley ’50, a former Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. General Kelley’s speech was significant as a graduate of Villanova’s Navy ROTC program, and he received an honorary doctoral degree from Villanova along with the St. Thomas of Villanova Alumni Medal.

General Kelley’s words inspired Callanen to begin his mission of identifying all the Villanova alumni who sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War.

With assistance from Falvey Library, he obtained and examined NROTC commissions from 1960 to 1974. He cross-checked every name on these documents with those listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial website in Washington, D.C., confirming eight Villanova alumni. From there, the list grew.

“When the list of casualties reached 12, I decided it was time to honor them on campus with a memorial plaque containing their names, Belle Air senior photographs, and undergraduate accomplishments,” said Callanen.

Millicent Gaskell, University librarian and director of Falvey Library, revealed in August 2023 that the Vietnam Memorial plaque Callanen created would be placed in the library next to the names of Villanova’s 73 “Gold Stars” from World War II.

By early 2024, Callanen had discovered 14 total Villanova casualties, including men who had enlisted while studying at the University or after graduating. Callanen created, printed, and framed the now-exhibited commemoration without expense to the University, demonstrating Villanova’s true Augustinian values of Veritas, Unitas, and Caritas.

“Everything that I did was purely volunteer,” Callanen said. “This was a labor of love.”

Villanova’s Office of Veterans and Military Service Members continues to collect information on all veterans killed in service with a connection to the University. Learn more about each of those veterans who lost their lives while serving their country through Honoring the Fallen: An Interactive Memorial Map.