Exonian Profiles
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Bill Campbell has been playing golf since he was 3 years old. That’s a total of 77 years, but who’s counting? Well, it turns out, lots of people are. In just the past few years Campbell has received numerous tributes, including an invitation to participate in the prestigious Memorial Tournament at Jack Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village Golf Club. He has also been recognized by the American Society of Golf Course Architects, and this year he was named to the Hall of Fame of the Southern Golf Association. Over the course of his seven decades in the game, Campbell has played in 37 U.S. Amateur Championships, 18 Masters Tournaments, 15 U.S. Opens, 12 British Amateurs and nine U.S. Senior Opens. Yet he has steadfastly refused to turn professional. In fact, until very recently he didn’t play during the week. He confesses that this year he has “played hooky” from his Huntington, WV, insurance business on weekday afternoons, but only three times. “I chose early in my career to keep business and golf totally separate,” he explains. “I’ve enjoyed my golf more that way and my business as well. I knew if I combined them it would be a distraction in both cases.” Clearly, the lessons he has learned from his sport have informed the rest of Campbell’s life. “The game of golf has a set of implicit values. It is a sport built on courtesy and self-policed integrity. It is a game of dignity and ethics. In the very play of the game people are presumed to call penalties on themselves. I learned those values at a very early age. “Golf is both a builder of character and a revealer of character. By watching someone play golf, you can see how that person responds to pressure and disappointment, as well as how his or her manners and personality hold up when things don’t go well. “Golf is a game of misses and how you react to them. The latter part of that definition is critical. The game is not perfectible. The important thing is your tolerance for disappointment. I played in 70 U.S. national championships in seven decades from 1938 to 1992, and won only three of them. But I was there.” Campbell was more than just “there.” He has long been a moving force in the world of amateur golf, known for his playing record as well as his service to the sport. Among his victories are the 1964 U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Senior Open, in 1979 and 1980. He was a member of eight Walker Cup Teams spanning 24 years. He is also the first person to head both of golf’s worldwide governing bodies, the United States Golf Association (USGA), from1982 to 1986, and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, from1987 to 1988. A member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, he was in 1956 the second person to be chosen to receive the Bob Jones Award for Distinguished Sportsmanship. This is the USGA’s highest award. From his years at Exeter as captain of the golf team to his years as captain of U.S. Walker Cup and Americas Cup teams, he has been a leader known for his courtesy, grace and gentlemanly manners. These same qualities were evident in his work in state and local politics and various civic, charitable and educational boards. At 80, he is still widely involved, and has not retired from business. He and his wife, Joan, are the parents of six children, including two Exonians: Victoria Collins ’74 and Colin Campbell ’75. —Julie Quinn |
