Commander William Roland Campbell Jr.

William R. “Bill” Campbell passed away quietly in the early morning on March 14 in Chestertown, Maryland. He celebrated his 95th birthday last October, surrounded by his children, grandchildren and great grandchil-dren. It was a noisy and happy day. During his waning months, he often mused about how lucky he was and what a great life he had led. Born in 1921 in Philadelphia, PA, Bill graduated from Media High (PA). He at-tended the Bullis School in preparation for entrance into the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in 1941. Bill graduated with the Class of ‘45 in 1944, a year early due to the War. While at USNA, he played lacrosse and con-tributed his cartoons to The Log, under the nickname “Soup.” On June 10, 1944, Bill married Virginia “Ginny” Lawrence at her Moylan, PA home, after which they gathered their tire rations and headed off for a short honeymoon in Atlantic City, NJ. They celebrated 63 years of mar-riage before Ginny passed away in 2007. Bill served in the Pacific on the USS Melvin, and fought in what history considers “the last great sea battle,” the Battle of Surigao Straits in Leyte Gulf. The Melvin sank the Japanese battleship, FUSO. Bill always en-joyed regaling his family and friends with the pithy details of this very im-portant event. Following service on the Melvin and then the James E. Kyes, Bill left the China service to attend the Submarine School in Groton, CT. He served aboard USS Sirago and USS Tusk, and then returned to Groton to teach engineering and tactics. In 1953, he commissioned the USS Thornback as Executive Officer, but then crushed his heel in an accident that ulti-mately resulted in him leaving the U.S. Navy, ending a dream of a life-time of naval service. In 1954, Bill joined the DuPont Company, eventu-ally moving to Delaware, and in 1968 he ran Russ Peterson’s successful campaign for Governor of Delaware. Bill always enjoyed a good political discussion! He then joined John Rollins & Associates as President in 1969, where he oversaw development for Rollins Jamaica, Ltd. Bill and Ginny returned to Annapolis in 1974 to be near their USNA friends and begin a new chapter in Bill’s life as a Director for the General Services Administration in Washington, D.C. After retiring from the Federal Gov-ernment, he was hired by the City of Annapolis where he served as Di-rector of Public Works for three consecutive Mayors. Bill thoroughly en-joyed the unique challenges of overseeing the docks, and re-bricking and burying the power lines on Annapolis’ historic and popular Main Street. Bill was active in many professional and service organizations through-out his life. He was most proud of his Scottish heritage and his tenure as the President of the St. Andrews Society of Baltimore. Bill cut quite a handsome figure in his full Scottish regalia! Bill was also loyal to all things Navy. Joining classmates each fall, he and Ginny were active tailgaters and had 50-yard-line tickets for USNA football games. “Look Alive with ’45” and “Beat Army” were his mantras. Bill was an avid sailor and a lousy golfer. He and Ginny traveled the world and enjoyed many family vacations at Dewey Beach (DE), Lake Wallenpaupack (PA) and Montego Bay, Jamaica. Bill Campbell was the oldest of six and is survived by his sister, Virginia Hodges, and four brothers Don (Dot), Bruce (Bobbi), Steve (Lisa) and Bob (Penny) Campbell; his children Carol (William) Spiker, Nancy (Mark) Howard, William (Connie) Campbell, III, Jean Tullier and Barbara (Dan) Citrenbaum; and 10 grandchildren, Peter Craig, Tom and Mike Spiker, Christian Howard, Amanda and Andrew Campbell, Tori Tullier, Caroline, Peter and Robbie Zonino, plus nine great-grandchildren. Besides his family, Bill will be greatly missed by many at Heron Point --- most espe-cially by his very special friend, Polly and his ‘church buddy,’ Louise. A memorial will be held at Heron Point in Chestertown, MD on Saturday, April 1at 2pm. A funeral service will be held at the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel on Thursday, May 11 at 2pm. Contributions may be made to Compass Hospice, 255 Comet Drive, Centreville, MD 21617 or via www.compassregionalhospice.org. For directions to the U.S. Naval Academy, please visit https://www.usna.edu/Visit/Directions.php

Commander William Roland Campbell Jr.

October 7, 1921 - March 14, 2017