Bruce Campbell

Bruce Campbell, 76, passed away, Monday, March 31, 2008. A visitation will be held on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at All Saints Catholic Church in Des Moines from 5-7 p.m. A scripture prayer service will follow at 7 p.m. Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Friday, April 4, 2008 at All Saints Catholic Church in Des Moines. Hamilton’s near Highland Memory Gardens will be handling arrangements.
The only son of Wallace and Edith (Essex) Campbell, Bruce was born on July 18, 1931 in Freeport, New York. He graduated from Albany State Teachers’ College in 1953, and taught high school Latin in Jordan, New York. Bruce received a master’s degree in the Classics from Albany, and a master’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Rochester.
Bruce married Victoria (Vicki) Zabka on October 12, 1968 in Scranton, PA. The two then moved to Newark, NY, where they were blessed with three children. Bruce worked at the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, and earned his Ph.D. in Linguistics in 1973 from the University of Rochester. The family moved to Des Moines in 1974, where Bruce taught at Drake University for 24 years. He received the Honor Teacher Award in Liberal Arts in 1977, and was the 1991 Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher of the Year. He had numerous publications, including Performing and Processing The Aeneid, which was published in 2001. As Professor Emeritus, Bruce continued teaching Latin part time at Drake through 2007 in the Honors Program. He was a member of the Torch Club. Bruce enjoyed reading, playing the piano, traveling, and watching NASCAR. He also enjoyed spending time with his family, especially with his grandchildren.
Bruce is survived by his wife, Vicki; daughter, Karen Campbell of Des Moines; sons, Kevin (Lisa) of Polk City, and Robert (Alissa) of Germany; three grandchildren: Donovan, Sophia and Beckett. He is also survived by cousins, Jack and Jane Essex of Dunwoody, GA.
Memorial contributions can be made to Drake University’s Adult Literacy Program or the English Department.

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Joel Bader

04/04/2008

Mr. Campbell sparked my interest in the structure and history of the English language. I also appreciate his interest in the adult literacy program at Drake University. Many are better thanks to his efforts as a teacher at Drake and in the Des Moines area.