The LSU community recently lost a mentor and inspiration within the interior design department who will be honored through an interior design scholarship in his name.
University Professor John Campbell, 74, died Feb. 19. He began teaching at the University in 2009 in the College of Art and Design. Outside the University, Campbell practiced interior design for over 40 years and recently was named Fellow of the American Society of Interior Designers.
Campbell’s design career began early in his life when he would paint with green car paint with other kids in his neighborhood, according to his obituary.
Campbell graduated from Louisiana Tech in 1969 with a BFA and post-graduate studies in interior design, his obituary read. Prior to his career at the University, he taught interior design and virtual design technology at the University of Idaho and interior design at Washington State University from 1999 to 2008.
“[Campbell] was a devoted husband, friend, mentor, teacher, interior designer, author and artist who loved his family and the Catholic Church,” his obituary read.
Interior design sophomore Morgan Curtis first met Campbell when she took his introduction to interior design class and got to know him in his studio class last semester.
Curtis described Campbell as “happy-go-lucky.” She said he cared for his students and wanted to make class a welcoming environment for them. When he saw students upset, Curtis said he always tried to cheer them up.
“[Campbell] was constantly in a good mood and constantly looking for the silver lining, and not letting things frustrate him,” Curtis said.
Campbell left a strong impact on Curtis, and she described him as her “go-to professor.” She planned to have him be her mentor for her senior capstone. She said Campbell taught her the importance of learning throughout the entire process, and not worrying about perfection.
“I truly believe [Campbell] was one of the best professors I’ve had so far and probably will have,” Curtis said, “He loved what he did as an interior designer and brought that into a teaching setting.”
Curtis said Campbell left the same impact on her classmates, even those in other studio classes that he would sometimes visit.
After class, Campbell often took Curtis to his office to show her what projects he was working on so she could improve her projects.
“[Campbell] was very attentive to my work, and he cared,” Curtis said. “It was obvious that he cared.”
Curtis said Campbell was very focused on the aspect of hands-on interior design projects. He taught his studio class alongside Professor Phillip Tebbutt, who focused much of his teaching in computer programs.
Tebbutt considered Campbell to be a good friend, colleague and “drinking buddy.” Tebbutt first met him at the University when Campbell was hired 10 years ago, and they got to know each other through teaching in the same department.
“[Campbell] was just a very generous man of his time,” Tebbutt said. “He wasn’t a man of big gestures, but he kept plugging away at the little important things, all the time. That’s how I’ll remember him.”
Tebbutt said Campbell was inspirational for many students and was the “hook” that pulled students into the program through his introductory class.
“[Campbell] did make a connection with a lot of students and that continued on whilst they were in the program,” Tebbutt said. “That was fairly evident at his service when all the students from five, six, seven, eight, nine years ago– some of them flew in from Denver, some of them from California–came. It was pretty amazing that somebody could have that impact on someone’s career.”
Campbell was a founding member of the Louisiana chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers and pushed LSU students to organize a chapter at the University. He was recently inducted into the College of Fellows.
Induction into the College of Fellows is awarded to less than 1% of those with an ASID membership and is the society’s highest honor, according to the ASID website.
Campbell was also the eigth registered interior designer in Louisiana.
In lieu of flowers at his service, funeral attendees were asked instead to make a donation to a fund for the John Campbell Scholarship of Interior Design.
“He would be more than happy to be the benefactor of some great opportunity to some up and coming students,” Tebbutt said.
Campbell’s service was Feb. 27 at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, and his internment was Feb. 28, where Tebbutt was a pallbearer.