William R. Campbell ’49

Bill died April 4, 2018.

Like other classmates, he joined us on campus after a year in the Navy. He roomed with Mike De Camp, Huntly Mayo, and Robert Neill Smith. During his senior year, he lived off campus with his wife, Ruth. He majored in English and joined Charter Club.

After graduation Bill went to work for a firm specializing in waste-recycling. He then joined Arrow Development Co., a manufacturer of amusement-park equipment, including roller coasters. He and Ruth were then living in California, in a house designed by Robert Neill Smith. Bill loved working with amusement-park operators and was known for his encyclopedic knowledge of roller coasters.

In 1976, the firm was sold, and Bill retired as president. He became active in the Inverness (Calif.) Public Utility District, working to provide affordable housing for senior citizens.

Ruth died in 1999, and in 2004 Bill married Ann Sheldon Taylor, a dear friend of hers, and moved to Westminster-Canterbury in Richmond, Va. He is survived by his three children, Catherine, Colin, and Kenneth; and grandson Roscoe. To Ann and all of his family, we offer our sympathy and condolences.