NATCHEZ &8212; John S. Callon, founder of Callon Petroleum, died Saturday after a long illness. He was 86.

Services will be 2 p.m. Tuesday at First Presbyterian Church.

Callon was well-known in the community not only as a business leader but also as a participant in civic affairs and for the role, with his wife, Betty, of preserving and sharing the important Natchez antebellum house Melrose, which now is a national park.

A pioneer in the oil and gas industry, Callon began his career in 1950, going on to build the company into what it is today &8212; a publicly traded New York Stock Exchange company with a market capitalization of $350 million.

&8220;He was a remarkable person who will be missed by all of us,&8221; said Fred Callon, the company chairman, chief executive officer and nephew of John Callon.

&8220;He led our company for over half a century, through both challenging and triumphant times. We will always be indebted to him for the vision and leadership he provided.&8221;

John Callon retired as CEO of the company in 1997 and as chairman of the board in 2004. Through the more than half a century in the business, he saw oil prices fall to $2.50 a barrel and soar to the recent highs above $60.

At his 2004 retirement, he spoke about his zest for the business, which never had wavered.

&8220;I&8217;ve enjoyed every minute of it,&8221; Callon said. &8220;But I couldn&8217;t have done all of it by myself. I couldn&8217;t have done it without the people who work for us, the people who love the company.&8221;

Attorney Walter Brown said Callon was &8220;a unique American. We were fortunate to have him in Natchez.&8221;

Brown said he will remember Callon both for his counsel and his lively conversation.

&8220;He had a great sense of humor and was conversant in so many things,&8221; Brown said.

Callon Petroleum might easily have moved to a larger city such as Houston, Brown said. &8220;But John Callon loved Natchez. He had an intense pride in it.&8221;

Brown said the Callon Petroleum building on Canal Street speaks for the man who founded the company &8212; &8220;it&8217;s big, bold, with everything just right about it.&8221;

In recent years, Callon became interested in the Alcorn State University proposal of a digital technology park at Natchez.

&8220;He was a part of our brain trust,&8221; said Napoleon Moses, professor and dean of the ASU School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences.

&8220;All of us here at the university are saddened to learn of his death,&8221; Moses said. &8220;He will be missed.&8221;

Callon, with his brother Sim Callon, drilled thousands of wells throughout the United States during their decades in business together &8212; from California to Florida and from Texas to Michigan.

John Callon liked to tell the story of how after his return from World War II duty in the Navy, he took a sales aptitude test with a big food company and was told he did not have what it took to become a good salesman.

In April 1998, he rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on the first day the company stock would sell on the exchange.

Callon served as director of the Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association and as president of the Mississippi-Alabama division.

He served as vice president for Mississippi of the Independent Petroleum Association of America and was a member of the American Petroleum Institute.

He was instrumental in the revival of Mardi Gras in Natchez with the forming of the Krewe of Phoenix in the 1980s, and he served as the first king, Rex I.

He was committed to United Way and was a longtime member of the Captains&8217; Table for leadership donors.

Callon was born Jan. 31, 1920, and grew up on a farm in Adams County near Fenwick. He was a 1937 graduate of Natchez High School.

He enlisted in the Navy at the outbreak of World War II and served as chief yeoman aboard the USS Lyon, seeing action in both the European and Pacific theaters of operation.

He was decorated with battle stars for his participation in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Southern France, Italy and Okinawa.