Dr. John “Jack” Campbell passed away in the presence of his family on Sunday, Oct. 24. after a lengthy illness. He worked for the Mount for nearly 30 years as dean of the university (1978-1982), vice president for academic affairs (1982-1990), provost (1990-95), acting president (1993), education professor (1995-2010) and adjunct professor (2011).
Dr. Carol Hinds, a Mount professor, remembers him as being sympathetic to student problems. He believed that educators needed to understand what was going on in students’ lives and adjust their teaching as to what they perceived was happening to them.
Campbell was a part of the Mount’s class of 1964 and earned his bachelor’s degree in English. He went on to teach English and coach basketball at Our Lady of the Lake High School in New Jersey and at Holy Cross High School in Delaware while pursuing a master’s degree in Special Education at the University of Delaware. In 1970, Campbell received his doctorate degree in Special Education at Penn State University and worked as a professor and administrator at the University of Nevada, Reno. Eight years later, he returned to his Alma Mater to serve as Dean of College.
During his time as a Mount student, Campbell played center on the 1962 men’s basketball team that won the NCAA College Division National Championship. In 1978, he and his teammates were inducted into the Mount St. Mary’s Hall of Fame. “Playing in those games was nerve racking, almost surreal,” Campbell told The Frederick News-Post in 2012.
Campbell was a recipient of numerous professional and athletic awards over the years including the University’s John Richards Award for Teaching Excellence and the Friends of Catholic Education Lifetime Achievement Award. He was the author of the books Behavior Modification in the Classroom, Student Discipline and Classroom Management and Individualized Instruction for the Educationally Handicapped.
His family received friends from 1-3 and 6-8 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 1 at Stauffer Funeral Home in Thurmont, MD. A Mass of Christian Burial was offered at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 2, at the University's Chapel of the Immaculate Conception with Rev. James Donohue as celebrant and homilist and Rev. Martin Moran, university chaplain, as concelebrant. The service was also live streamed on the university’s website.
A celebration of life reception followed at the Seminary Dining Hall. To honor Campbell, his favorite foods were used as centerpieces for the table. A toast was given using shot glasses filled with his favorite drink, Scotch.