Remembering Malcolm Campbell…….
I’m Phyllis Roeder and I met Malcolm about 45 years ago at University Christian Church in Hillcrest. As most of you know, Malcolm rarely talked about himself and all the amazing things he’s done, so I’d like to share what I’ve learned about him.
He was born in Pittsburgh, to parents who lived 20 minutes outside the city on a 10-acre parcel. As I learned about his homeplace, I was intrigued and can’t resist telling you about it, so I’m asking you to imagine it with me. The house was set back from the main road, and up on a hill, so their 1940’s cars had to get a “running jump” to make it up the steep grade. The 10 acres was mostly wooded, with wild turkey and deer running freely, along with smaller creatures such as rabbits, squirrels, opossum and racoons. There were lots of trees near the house….pine, fir and Chinese chestnut. In fact, they had a chestnut harvest every fall. There were lilac bushes, endless flower beds and a large garden where they grew all their dinner veggies.
The three-story farmhouse was 100 years old, with a side porch, which was a nice place to spend long summer evenings……and Malcolm loved to sleep out there as far into the fall as we could, because it was so hot in his third-story bedroom There was also a spacious barn, and since it wasn’t a working farm with animals, the barn was used to house all their cars, including a couple of Malcolm’s first cars ……..a WWII Willy’s jeep and a 1953 Plymouth, but it was the jeep that everyone remembered him racing over the countryside and up that steep hill. The jeep is still in the family and Malcolm’s nephew hopes to have it running soon.
Living in the country gave Malcolm and his siblings many wonderful rural adventures, but they also had chores to do, helping with the upkeep of such a large property. Malcolm’s brother, Wayne, liked to say he often did chores for both of them because Malcolm was too busy practicing his music.
Malcolm’s Dad was the editor of the Sun Telegraph Newspaper in Pittsburgh, so it’s no surprise to learn that Malcolm became the editor of his high school newspaper. He was also active in drama and played the euphonium in the school band; I’ve learned that it’s a small tenor tuba.
There were several small high schools in their section of Pittsburg and occasionally they would come together to present a combined concert. During one of these times, Malcolm’s mother invited a girl from one of the other high schools to join their family for dinner between their rehearsal and the evening concert. That was the only time Malcolm ever saw Anne Holsinger until many years later when he first visited University Christian Church here in San Diego. On his first Sunday, he was re-introduced to Anne, who was now a married woman, and she was no longer carrying her French Horn. As soon as she put ‘Campbell’ and ‘Pittsburg’ together, she remembered having dinner in his home all those years ago. All of us from UCC know this lady as Anne Freeman. What a small world.
Remember Ted Mack and the Original Amateur Hour? It aired in the late 40’s – 1970. Well, Pittsburg had its own version of the show, and they called it The Wilkin’s Amateur Hour, named after its sponsor, the largest jewelry store in Pittsburgh. This was one of the very first live TV shows to be broadcast in Pittsburg. As a teenager, Malcolm and two of his buddies decided to enter the weekly show on a lark. They presented themselves as a Cowboy Trio, dressed in jeans, boots and big hats, …. and singing country western songs while they strummed their guitars. They were happily surprised when they received first place that week and collected $50! That was a lot of money in the 1950’s.
Malcolm attended Bethany College, a liberal arts school founded by Alexander Campbell in Bethany, West Virginia, where he was elected president of his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Order. As graduation was looming, Malcolm researched the best places in the entire country to live and decided on sunny San Diego.
He sent his resume to General Dynamics, one of the largest employers in the area at the time. They were impressed and asked him to come in for an interview. In the interview, they showed him a design they were struggling to perfect. He glanced at it and immediately recognized their mistake. They were so impressed, they hired him on the spot. He worked there for many years as a Senior Research Engineer and spent considerable time on very interesting projects, including working on some of the parts of one of the first rockets that went to the moon. We’ll learn more about that from his friend, Mike, a little later.
After an early retirement, Malcolm worked as a locksmith and was the first President of the CA Locksmith Association. He also started a security business and was one of the first to install home security systems.
In his spare time, Malcolm had many interests. He wrote poetry, edited periodicals, proofread technical articles and held editing roles in most of his clubs. He earned his license to fly a plane so he could squire his family around the country; he was an avid fisherman and enjoyed riding motorcycles. His latest motorcycle purchase just a few years ago was one with a sidecar so he could take Marion along with him. After her first thriller ride with him she vowed that it would be her only ride with him. He could put someone else in that sidecar! Or maybe the dog.
Malcolm knew he was blessed with many gifts, and it was his pleasure to use them to help the people around him. He could help with just about anything around the house….. remodeling. plumbing, electrical, you name it. He was skilled at lacing trees, doing mechanical work on all his vehicles and was proficient in many other things.
Most of us remember Malcolm’s musical talent above all others. He played numerous instruments, including banjo, mandolin and bass in the contemporary band at UCC, under the direction of Paul Svenson. After leaving there, he became part of the contemporary band at The First United Methodist, and later at Water’s Edge. He played a half dozen instruments or more and never had a music lesson in his life. He also took part in church talent shows and I’m sure those of you from UCC remember when he entertained us by playing the piano with his nose.
Malcolm was an accomplished Magician and a proud member of the I.B.M. Ring 76, where he served as Associate Editor and later as Acting Editor of their MagiCurrents newsletter, among other duties. He entertained at the Magic Club, at his Coinshooters Club, as well as for other groups, including some at UCC, where so many of us met him. He always performed when he visited his family back east…..and was even hired to do magic shows at the Del Mar Fair. Mike, and a few of his colleagues from Ring 76 are here today performing a bit of Malcolm’s favorite style of magic as they mingle with small groups.
Malcolm also belonged to the Coinshooters of San Diego, a group using metal detectors to look for treasures. He served as Treasurer for this group for many years. Favorite hunting grounds included the beaches, both here and in Baja, fields and pastures, vacant lots and empty fairgrounds where they found collectible coins, silver dollars, diamond rings, gold and platinum jewelry, fishing lures and sometimes even relics. His friend, Alan, said he always watched Malcolm during a hunt because “when that Scotsman left the field, he knew the hunt was over.”
One year Malcolm was presented with the Treasure Hunter of the Year Award. The hunters were looking for plot markers outside Encinitas to help settle a property dispute. There were eight markers to be found. Malcolm found three under the asphalt that had been repaved and one in a drainage ditch that was just a column of rust in the soil. He found where two more were in the path of a sewer line, so his six out of the eight were enough to settle the property dispute.
Malcolm was very active at UCC, in addition to playing in the band. I especially remember he was a great help to the Jewelry Department during our rummage sales. He ordered and installed batteries in at least 100 watches which were sold at the sales. He built several display cases for us, helped us upgrade other aspects of our operation and even climbed to the top of the sanctuary roof to run wiring to our space so we could be one of the first churches to take credit cards at a rummage sale. This, of course, was before you could slide them through an adapter on your cell phone. You name it, he could do it. He was always willing and did everything well.
Malcolm enjoyed collecting and repairing old cameras and had an extensive collection. When he and Marion downsized and left their Mission Hills home, he sold his camera collection to the Cooley Museum on Park Blvd, where it can be seen today, Malcolm was an accomplished photographer himself and I remember that he documented every waking hour of our 1980’s Wonders of the West trip when 18 of us from UCC took off on a three-week trip through CA, Nevada and Oregon. Every night he connected his camera to the TV, and we magically revisited everything we had done that day.
He and Marion loved to travel in their RV and enjoyed many trips through the US, Canada and Mexico. When in Mexico, he always made sure they reached their destination before dark because the free-range cattle liked to lie down on the warm asphalt roads as the evenings cooled off, and you never knew when you’d come up on one. The pictures he took on those trips filled many albums and were among his prized possessions.
Malcolm sold some antique living room furniture to the Cooley Museum also, which is still on display. His great grandfather was well known for making custom furniture in New York, and this set is one of his creations. It passed down through the generations and when the family home in Pittsburg was sold, Malcolm found the set of at least eight pieces stored in that big old barn we talked about earlier. He put it on a train and shipped it to San Diego where he had it refinished and reupholstered. They were able to enjoy it for many years in their living room, and I’m sure many of you saw it there before it found its permanent home at Cooley’s.
Malcolm and Marion both loved dogs and always had at least two poodles. Over the years, we’ve seen several of them take center stage in their home. The last one, Bentley, who kept him company while he resided in independent living at Atria and Paradise Village, has found a new home with Nan Myers, where he seems happy and content. It’s very special to see Bentley here with Nan today.
Malcolm’s family members all speak very highly of him and have many fond memories of him. Some of their comments include: one of the most interesting people I have met in my entire life; funny; jokester, good conversationalist, bright, always tinkering just like his dad, Mr. Fix-it……..and a great Manhattan maker. There was no liquor in the Sr. Campbell’s home, so when Malcolm and Marion visited, they would host happy hour in their RV and any family member wanting a cocktail was welcome to join them.
Malcolm passed away just three weeks prior to his 90th birthday. He was predeceased by his entire immediate family…….his parents, two brothers and one sister…..his daughter by his first marriage, and his wife, Marion, who passed away almost three years ago.
He is survived by his brother-in-law, Bege, from Colorado, as well as his nephew, Curtis, and wife, Heather, of Vista, who are here with us today. Also surviving are two sisters-in-law and seven other nieces and nephews, along with all their families, so the Campbell Clan lives on.
Those of us who knew Malcolm were blessed by his friendship and we’ll miss him.
