RALPH D. CAMPBELL, C.M, DFC

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RALPH D. CAMPBELL, C.M, DFC and Bar, MA, LLD, DCL, D Sc, F.A.I.C, FCAES November 14, 1918 to March 13, 2008 Ralph D. Campbell son of the late Fred and Pearl Campbell of Foxboro, Ontario, beloved husband of Ruth, daughter of the late William and Mabel Heron of Brooklin, Ontario. Father of Hugh (Darla) Stoney Creek, Catherine (Hugh) Wakefield, PQ, Elizabeth (Don Mitchell) Brooklin, and stepfather of Patricia Peterson (Eric), of Don Mitchell, and of Carolyn Hall (Robert) Port Perry. Grandfather of Ian, Robert, Brian, Julia, Christopher, Laura, Eric, Carrie, Shelley, Rachel, and Rebecca. Great grandfather of Eliot and Victoria. Predeceased by first wife, Joy, in 1975. Ralph was born on the family farm at Foxboro in November, 1918. Upon graduation from Stirling High School in 1937 he became a full time farmer with his parents for the next five years. The family farm became noteworthy for its Holstein herd and for winning the provincial championship in oat production. Ralph became volunteer organizer for Hastings County Farm Radio Forums and aided four of them to found the Foxboro Co-operative, which still operates successfully after 67 years, and he participated in creating the first Hastings County Federation of Agriculture and its associated marketing boards. Ralph enlisted as a pilot-in-training and subsequently was awarded the D.F.C and Bar as an RAF bomber pilot after several life-threatening incidents in European skies. On return to Canada he became a student at U of T (1946-49), then Rhodes Scholar at Oxford (1949-51) and graduated with a first from Balliol College, Oxford. He became a Lecturer in the Dept of Ag Econ at OAC, Guelph, in 1951 and Professor and the Head of Department (1952-62). The Department of Ag Econ became an integrated home of high quality members and developed a large and stimulating graduate program. He was chosen as Hon Pres by three years of students and counts many members of these years to be his very closest friends. Beside exceptional friendship with members of year '57 and '59, Ralph was a people person with friends in almost every county in Ontario. He became Ford Foundation adviser to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (1962-64) and acting leader of planning, backed by 15 energetic young Jordanian economists fresh out of university. Seven years ago, on returning to Jordan he found one of these young men he had hired in 1963 was now the Minister of Finance, another was Minister of Transportation, another was CEO of a major exporter, another had been ambassador to Kuwait for five years, etc.etc. Ralph became Professor and Assoc Dean at U of Toronto (1964-70) and chairman of the university discipline committee moderating between uncompromising exponents of old and new views of education prevalent in the discordant years 1968-70. He then became Ford Foundation adviser to Kenya (1970-72) where he became troubleshooter for a new sugar factory which brought hope and off-farm jobs to thousands of small holders of Western Province and whichwonder of wonders- opened on the very day planned. The Mumias Sugar Factory became one of his greatest achievements; it has since been expanded from the original 60,000 tons to 180,000 tons of sugar per year. Ralph returned to Canada as Principal of Scarborough College of U of T (1972-76), and spear-headed the creation of the first co-operative program of the U of T. He became President of U of Manitoba for four happy years (1976-81), during which he initiated the practice of holding convocations not only at the university but at five other cities so that non-university relatives and local friends could see their young people graduate. In 1981 he became Rockefeller Foundation adviser to Kenya and created small local teams analyzing sectors of the economy and stocked with newly graduated Kenyans. In 1984 he became Director, International Development Office of AUCC (Association of Univ and Coll of Canada) Ottawa (1984-86) largely devoted to assisting Canadian universities establish productive relations with universities of the third world.. Thereafter, he was part time consultant/adviser in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and author of the book We Flew by Moonlight recounting his experience as a war-time pilot ditching at night in the Channel and later being shot down on fire after bombing the Ruhr Valley. A second book, From Foxboro, Ontario reviewed his long life with special attention to his early years in a farm community. He was President of the Agric Inst of Canada in 1960 and of the Can Ag Ec Society in 1959. He became a member of the Order of Canada in 1986. On June 8, 2008 he will be inducted into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame. One of Ralph's strongest points is that he has always been a people person, a quality which comes naturally to those growing up in a family like his and a community like Foxboro. A devoted husband, father, grandfather, greatgrandfather, friend, he will be sadly missed by his wife, Ruth, and many others. The funeral service will be held at Mundell Funeral Home, 79 West St., Orillia, at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 30th. Celebration of Life to follow at Hawk Ridge Golf Country Club, 1151 Hurlwood Lane, Orillia. In remembrance of Ralph, if desired, please make a donation to the university of your choice, in lieu of flowers.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 15, 2008