IN APPRECIATION • Joe Campbell Sr.
His Father's 3 Loves:
Teaching, Coaching,
Radio Broadcasting
Editor’s Note: “Voice of Oneonta” Joseph P. Campbell’s son, Joe Jr., eulogized his father at a memorial service Saturday, July 27, at the Oneonta Elks Lodge. This is an excerpt.
By JOE CAMPBELL, Jr. • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
Dad absolutely loved teaching, coaching, and radio broadcasting.
- “Mr. C.” taught for 38 years, mostly in sixth grade at the Greater Plains Elementary School. Dad had the exquisite gift of making lifelong personal connections with each of his students by building on their interests. Many of those students are here with us today and kept in contact with Mr. C. through cards and phone calls. Dad loved this recognition, referring to teaching as the most rewarding career.
Mr. C.'s innovative use of puppets, song, and radio-drama production, including sound effects, made creative writing, social studies, and math come alive in his classroom by delighting students. Additionally he had corners in his classroom for poetry, weight lifting, and radio. Dad frequently said he was grateful to teach back in the day when teachers had more freedom. At home, dad connected with me by bringing his sixth-grade circuit box home when I was in kindergarten and that set me on my path to MIT.
