Centre News

Dr. Charles William Campbell, III, of Danville, beloved Paul G. Blazer Professor of Economics at Centre College for 32 years, died Feb. 24 after a long illness.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, March 4, at 2 p.m. at The Presbyterian Church (located on Main Street in Danville), followed by a reception also at the church. The family asks that any remembrances be in the form of gifts to the Charles W. Campbell, III Memorial Fund at Centre.

In addition to his teaching at Centre, Campbell also taught economics at the University of Kentucky. He earned an A.B. (cum laude) in economics and philosophy from Marshall University and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. He was also involved in several businesses in Huntington, W.V., including serving as president and chairman of the C.W. Campbell Company and, in the late 1970s, owned and operated Campbell Hardware in downtown Danville.

During his 32 years at Centre, Campbell chaired virtually every important faculty committee, including the Tenure and Reappointment Committee, the Curriculum Committee, the Honors & Prizes Committee, the Public Affairs Committee, the Library Committee and the Athletics Committee. He was an official advisor to the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and an advisor to the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, while overseeing internships in small business, banking and land-use planning.

Campbell’s students remember him for his wit and for his ability to make esoteric economic theory understandable. He was a gifted teacher with a unique ability to reach those whose post-graduate achievement would eclipse modest academic success.

During the summers of 1980, 1984, 1987 and 1989, he taught economics in London, England, as part of the Vanderbilt International Summer program. He taught winter classes for Centre students in corporate finance, public finance and investment analysis in Washington, D.C., and New York City.

Campbell served on the investment committee of the Danville Presbyterian Church and the boards of several Danville organizations, including the Wilderness Trace Child Development Center and Leadership Danville.

Campbell leaves behind his wife, Margaret Campbell ’60; his daughter, Eloise Hamilton Campbell Longenecker ’96; a son-in-law, David Longenecker ’96; and a brother-in-law, Rutherford B. Campbell ’66. He has one grandson, Oliver Rex Longenecker, and a sister, Kay Campbell.