James ''Jim'' C. Campbell

Jim Campbell was born August 5, 1931 in Darlington, Pennsylvania. He died August 24, 2008 in Maryville, Tennessee, where he served as a teacher, coach, counselor, and friend to many for more than 50 years. Jim’s formative years were spent with his parents in Darlington, Unity, Universal, and Prospect, Pennsylvania where his father served churches and later at the Mars Home for Children, a United Presbyterian Church ministry where his parents served as superintendents. He graduated from Mars High School in 1949 where he was a three-sport letterman. Jim graduated from Maryville College in 1953. He played football, basketball, and baseball under coach Lombe Honaker and was a Little All-American football player as a punt returner during his senior year. After college he was signed to a professional baseball contract by the Cincinnati Reds, but soon was drafted into the army. He served in the special services group in Germany, playing baseball, coaching football, and managing a boxing team among other duties. On his return he got a job teaching and coaching in Clinton, Tennessee. On Christmas Day, 1955, he married Janice Elizabeth Eakin Campbell whom he had known since seventh grade in Prospect. Janice and Jim moved to Clinton, and then to Maryville in 1956, where he was hired to teach and coach at the new Maryville Junior High School. In 1962, Jim answered the call of pastor Barney Eby to become Director of Christian education at New Providence Presbyterian Church. Sensing the need for more theological training, he moved the family to New Jersey and enrolled at Princeton Seminary in the fall of 1966. His time at the seminary was cut short, however, as his daughter Mary Esther was diagnosed with cancer. She died on September 4, 1967 in Ridgewood, New Jersey where Jim served as Director of Christian Education at West Side Presbyterian Church and as a counselor at Ben Franklin Junior High. In 1972 Jim and family returned to Maryville where he became the basketball and baseball coach at the high school. He welcomed the return to the public schools because he recognized that in the church you serve a fairly limited population, but in the schools you serve everyone in the community. On his retirement in 1996 the school system honored him by naming the high school gymnasium in his name. After retirement he remained active on the local sports scene doing broadcasts of football and basketball games and helping to organize the Blount County Sports Hall of Fame. Throughout his life he was an avid fisherman, golfer, and storyteller. As a local sports columnist once noted, he “could stretch a 30-second comment into an entertaining two-hour dissertation.” He was a longtime and active member of New Providence church where he served as a member of session and taught the Nuera Sunday School class. Jim was preceded in death by his parents and daughter. He is survived by Janice, his loving wife of 52 years; his two older brothers, the Rev. G. David Campbell of Maryville and Marion Morrison (Jerry) Campbell of Houston, Texas; his son David Coleman Campbell and Dave’s wife Mary Lynn Tobin of Davis, California; his son James Eakin Campbell and Jim’s wife Priscilla Book Campbell of Oak Ridge, Tennessee; his grandchildren Elise, Amelia, and Claire Campbell of Oak Ridge and Christopher Tobin-Campbell of Davis, California; plus hundreds of “adopted” sons, daughters, and friends everywhere who looked to him as a father figure, counselor, friend, and inspiration. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be sent to the New Providence Church foundation or to Maryville College. A memorial service will be held at New Providence Church at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 26. The celebration of Jim’s life will continue with a reception following the service in the church’s fellowship hall. Family and friends will meet at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday at Grandview Cemetery for the interment service. McCammon-Ammons-Click Funeral Home, Maryville, TN in charge (982-6812) www.mccammonammonsclick.com