Senate Concurrent Resolution 701

(As Adopted by Senate and House)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION MOURNING THE LOSS AND COMMENDING THE LIFE OF NATCHEZ BUSINESS AND CIVIC LEADER SIM CHASE CALLON AND EXPRESSING THE SYMPATHY OF THE LEGISLATURE.

WHEREAS, Sim Chase Callon, 93, highly respected business and civic leader in Natchez, Mississippi, passed away on March 28, 2010; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Callon was born August 16, 1916, in Adams County, the son of Fred L. and Anna Chase Callon. He was educated in the Adams County schools and served in the United States Army Air Corps; and

WHEREAS, in the early 1950s, Mr. Callon joined his brother, John S. Callon, to form Callon Oil and Gas Company, which later became Callon Petroleum Company. Today the company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and engages in the exploration and production of oil and gas onshore and offshore in the United States. He retired as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1981; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Callon also served as a Director of Deposit Guaranty National Bank and the bank's Natchez Advisory Board, until retiring from these positions in 1987; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Callon was President, Treasurer and Board Member of the Rotary Club of Natchez, of which he was a Paul Harris Fellow; Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Natchez Regional Medical Center; and President of the Confederate Oil Invitational; and

WHEREAS, he was a dedicated member of the First Presbyterian Church of Natchez, where he served as an Elder and a Deacon; and

WHEREAS, in 1974, he was instrumental in establishing the headquarters of the Historic Natchez Foundation. He served on the Historic Natchez Foundation Board of Directors for many years and received the Historic Natchez Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Callon was a member of the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Historical Society and a strong supporter and leader of the Natchez Historical Society, which awarded him the Historic Preservation Award in 1983; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Callon was a strong supporter of the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration, the Historic Natchez Conference, the Pilgrimage Garden Club Antiques Forum, Copiah-Lincoln Community College's Elderhostel program and other historical and cultural events; and

WHEREAS, an avid collector of photographs related to Natchez and a successful photographer and amateur historian, Mr. Callon researched, developed and presented numerous illustrated programs about various facets of Natchez history. He was co-author of two books about Natchez, Natchez: An Illustrated History and The Goat Castle Murder: A True Natchez Story That Shocked the World; and

WHEREAS, survivors include his wife of 66 years, Vera Daniels Callon; two sons, Sim Chase Callon, Jr., and Fred L. (Karen) Callon, all of Natchez, Mississippi; six grandchildren, Lynette Callon (Darryl) Bubrig of Hammond, Louisiana, Amy G. Callon, Heather B. Callon, Lindsey H. (Katherine) Callon, Lauren W. Callon and LeeAnna Callon, all of Natchez, Mississippi; two great-grandchildren, Kennedy and Brady Bubrig of Hammond, Louisiana; and numerous nieces and nephews; and

WHEREAS, it is with sadness that we note the passing of a true Southern gentleman who will be part of Natchez history and missed by all citizens in the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby join the citizens of Natchez in mourning the loss and commending the life of Natchez business and civic leader Sim Chase Callon, and extend to his surviving family our sympathy on his passing.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Sim Chase Callon and the Board of Directors of Callon Petroleum and Historic Natchez Foundation, and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.