No man is an Iland,
intire of it selfe;
every man is a peece of the Continent,
a part of the maine;
if a Clod bee washed away by the Sea,
Europe is the lesse, as well as if a Promontorie were,
as well as if a Mannor of thy friends or of thine owne were;
any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde;
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
- John Donne -
Paul was born on the first of February, 1935 in Weatherford, Texas and has remained a lifelong fifth generation Texan. Paul, pictured below at age five, had a happy childhood. I always thought he was kind of magical!
The Campbells were a soft touch for the hungry of their community. Along with food served on a platter from the households last meal, Paul's grandmother would always serve iced tea in a quart jar to the hungry itinerants who showed up on her doorstep. Little Paul would frequently visit with the supplicants while they ate and drank.
When Paul was about five years of age, as depicted in the above photograph, he decided to run away from home and live the life of a hobo. When Paul told his mother she suggested that he might like one last meal under the big tree in the back yard. Paul asked that his clothes be packed in a large red bandana and attached to a stick made from a tree limb like any self respecting hobo. His Mom assured him that his baggage would be ready after his lunch. Paul insisted that his iced tea for his farewell meal be served in a quart gar.
Paul carried his iced tea filled jar in one hand and the tablecloth containing his ample lunch in the other out to the tree in the back yard. Unpacking the provisions from the table cloth, Paul discovered on a large yellow platter: a T-bone Steak, gravy, corn bread, spinach greens and a bowl of freshly mixed fruit with cherries.
After lunch Paul returned to the house through the screen door on the back porch where Paul encountered his mother with a red bandana containing clothing and attached to a stick. Paul, a little tired from a full stomach, announced: "I think I will run away from home another day."
Paul's first car:
When he was twelve years old, Paul, along with his father, Paul Senior, and his mother, Katherine Money Campbell, moved to Bonham, Texas. Below, Paul can be seen at 15 years of age.
It was during his Bonham years that Paul's interest in piano and organ developed. Paul studied piano for eight years and pipe organ for four years. In his Senior Year at Bonham High School he was editor of the school newspaper, The Bonhi.
Above is a picture at eighteen years of age.
Below is a photo of Paul when twenty-one years of age.
Below is a picture of Paul in 1977 standing in front of Big Ben the September Arline, Katherine, Paul and John spent ten days in England.
Here is another picture of Paul.
A more recent picture can be seen in the Dining Room.
Paul's hobbies include: cooking, book collecting, studying the history of the British Monarchy, transprinting, collecting antiques, and music. He has been organist-choirmaster at Holy Trinity Church [Episcopal], in Bonham, The First Christian Church [Disciples of Christ] in Bonham, and at All Saints Church [Episcopal] in Fort Worth, Texas, and at Saint Michael and All Angels [Episcopal], in Richland Hills, Texas. An image of Paul at the organ is seen below.
Here is Paul one evening at his square grand piano.
Paul retired in 1993, after almost twenty-five years of service in the Genealogy and Local History Department of the Fort Worth Public Library as seen below.
For several of those years, he coauthored, along with Patricia Chadwell, a column in the Fort Worth Star Telegram entitled Texas Kin. For four years Paul was President of the Fort Worth Genealogical Society. During his tenure a history of this region of Texas entitled Old Northwest Texas was published as a two volume set. For 20 years Paul has served on The Tarrant County Historical Commission.
Having been a long-time member of the Board of Directors in various offices, Paul was made the first lifetime member of the Fort Worth Genealogy Society.
Below is a picture of Paul on the deck of the American Queen Steamboat. He is resting in front of his stateroom between shipboard activities. The Mississippi river is seen in the background on this warm day near the end of May 2000.
Paul died in my arms at Plaza Medical Hospital on November 23, 2005 at 2:30 AM. He was admitted the day before because of anaphylactic shock which was likely caused by an insect bite.
He had recently been admitted to the hospital for severe arthritis and asthma and a short time later for suspected drug interactions. He returned home on oxygen therapy but with continued shortness of breath. It was likely that the severe asthma contributed to his demise.
His ashes are in repose in the columbarium of the Chapel of The Angels at All Saints Episcopal Church in Fort Worth.