William Campbell Obituary

William Robert Campbell SUMMERVILLE - William Robert Campbell, Ph.D., died on Feb. 13, 2019. Born March 24, 1937 in Franklin, Penn., he was preceded in death by his parents Floyd and Cecile (Edinger) Campbell and a sister. He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Susan Kammeraad-Campbell, and their daughters Abby, Riley and Maddy. Following his first career as a Hollywood actor/director, he graduated from Allegheny College and earned his masters and doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. He was an activist in the civil rights movement and worked with the Special Operations Research Office to aid U.S. counterinsurgent missions in Vietnam. He was a member of the Paris consul (1980-81) that negotiated the release of the American hostages in Tehran. Campbell spent most of his academic career at Miami University (1970-97). He was director of Graduate Studies for the Dept. of Political Science and directed the Model League of Arab States/Midwest. Campbell was a professor fellow at Harvard's Center for Middle Eastern Studies and a visiting professor at Cesare Alfieri Instituto and the universities of Shiraz and Tehran. He taught at the universities of Rhode Island, Maryland (Europe), Pittsburgh, Joint Military Intelligence College and College of Charleston. Campbell presented papers and lectures all over the world. He spoke multiple languages. He and his wife founded The Gathering House in Oxford, Ohio, a center for writing and creativity. They moved to Summerville in 1997 and established Joggling Board Press (2003), an award-winning publishing company in Summerville. For the terrific matrix that was his mind, Campbell reveled in simple things. "Life," he said, "is a whoopie cushion. It's meant to be enjoyed." A memorial service will be held at his home on Mar. 3 at 3 p.m. Contributions can be made to Edisto Riverkeepers. Arrangements: Parks Funeral Home. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston