Jim Campbell

JAMES V. “Jim” CAMPBELL James V. “Jim” Campbell, a retired educator, a 1936 Cleburne High School graduate and member of the Cleburne Hall of Fame, died Wednesday, January 22, 2003 in Waco after a months-long series of heart ailments. He was 85. A memorial service will be held at 12noon Saturday, January 25 at St. Louis Catholic Church, 2001 N. 25th Street, with the Rev. Melvin Dornak and the Rev. Mike Attas, M. D. officiating. Arrangements are through Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey, 6101 Bosque Blvd. Campbell retired in 1982 after almost 40 years of service at Gainesville Independent School District, 70 miles north of Dallas. He was the high school principal there for more than 20 years, longer than anyone else in history. He also was the first-ever camp director for Camp Sweeney, a summer campsite for juvenile diabetics east of Gainesville, serving in that capacity from 1950 until 1987. Campbell and his wife Virginia, an elementary school and piano teacher, moved to Waco in the early 1980s to be near their only son, Dr. James V. “Jay” Campbell Jr. and his wife Ann, as well as their two grandchildren, Catherine and Peter. Virginia Campbell died in 2000. A lifelong sports fan who had coached football and track for some years before becoming a high school administrator, Campbell spent his retirement years attending each of his grandchildren’s activities and tried to attend each reunion of the Cleburne High School Class of 1936. Campbell was born in Cleburne on May 16, 1917, the son of Roy and Ora O’Brien Campbell. He maintained a number of friendships with his classmates who still reside in and around Cleburne. He served in the Navy during World War II after having attended St. Edwards University in Austin and the University of North Texas in Denton, where he earned bachelors and masters degrees in education. Jim Campbell, who had a twin brother Dan and a younger brother Peter, played college football, excelling at several positions. Other survivors include one niece and three nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Camp Sweeney, Box 918, Gainesville, Texas 76240. Memorial guestbook at www.wilkirsonhatchbailey.com. WILKIRSON-HATCH-BAILEY