Duncan D.A. "Duke" Campbell

Captain D.A. ("Duke") Campbell, U.S.N. Retired Resident of Alameda passed away at the age of 96 on October 22, 2010. Captain Campbell was born on March 5, 1914 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the eldest son of Archie and Pearl Campbell. After 63 years of marriage, his beloved wife Trudy passed away on January 30, 2005 in Alameda, CA. They are survived by their three sons and their wives, Duncan A. Campbell III of Boulder, Colorado, a graduate of Yale and Harvard Law School, Clarke M. Campbell of Vienna, Virginia, a graduate of Miami of Ohio University, and Brian C. Campbell of San Diego, California, a graduate of San Diego State University, as well as by Duke's younger brother Bill, of Venice, Florida. Duke graduated from St. John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry, 1936, where he starred in both football and hockey. He joined the U.S. Navy Reserve in 1937 after working as a National Youth Administration County Supervisor for the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.), becoming District Supervisor, before entering the U.S. Navy flight training at Pensacola, Florida. Upon graduation from flight training in Pensacola in 1938, he joined Patrol Squadron 1 in San Diego, which moved to Manila, Philippine Islands in June 1939 after Hitler invaded Poland that month. Duke was selected for transfer to the regular Navy in 1940 in the Philippines where he qualified as command pilot of a PBY Catalina "flying boat", patrolling the 7,000 islands of the Philippines and surrounding area. While in the Pacific war theater, Duke rescued one Navy downed air crew (including his former roommate) and two Army air crews shot down by the Japanese, for which he was decorated - one of which pilots showed up by surprise at Duke's wedding to Trudy in St. Cloud, Minnesota on December 29, 1942. Captain Campbell was a highly-decorated pilot during World War II, earning a Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, an OBE (Order of the British Empire awarded by the King), and several Commendations from the U.S. Navy while in the Philippines and while in command of an anti-submarine squadron based in England 1944-45. From 1960-63 he was head of the MAAG (Military Assistance and Advisory Group) attached to the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France, in charge of all relations with the French Navy, for which outstanding service he received the prestigious Order of Merit signed by French President Charles de Gaulle. He served three tours of duty in the Washington, D.C. area. While serving in the D.C. area, he received his Masters Degree in International Affairs, 1963, from Georgetown University. His tour in D.C. also included three years on the faculty of the National War College. He was Commanding Officer of the U.S. Naval Air Station (NAS) at Alameda, CA, from 1965-67, followed by two years as Chief of Staff of the 12th Naval District based in San Francisco before retiring in 1969 in Alameda, California. As the Commanding Officer of NAS Alameda, he inaugurated a series of community-oriented service collaborations between the Navy and the City of Alameda, including working closely with the Mayor and other civic organizations, for which he was presented with the official Seal of the City of Alameda in gratitude for his pioneering efforts. In 1969, Duke and Trudy moved back into the family home in Alameda, a home they had purchased in 1951, where they continued to live until their passing. After retiring from the Navy, Duke continued his lifetime of service and community-oriented leadership in the civilian area in many local civic organizations, including: as past president of the Advisory Board of the Mastic Senior Center (where he was an ever-present and generous volunteer for many years), past President of Alameda Boys and Girls Club, past chairman and life member of the Alameda Commuters Annual Golf Tournament, past president of the SIRS (Sons in Retirement), member of the Alameda Boy Scouts Council, as well as a long-time member of the Alameda Rotary Club and the Alameda Elks Lodge (of which he was the oldest member at the time of his passing). He and wife Trudy were prominent active long-time supporters and Friends of the Alameda Free Library, where he served as a weekly volunteer until shortly before his passing. Memorial Ceremony will be held at the Alameda Elks Lodge on Thursday, November 4, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Friends and family are invited to attend a viewing on Friday, November 5, 2010 from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. with a rosary at 7:00 p.m. Greer Family Mortuary, 2694 Blanding Ave. Alameda, CA. Funeral Mass will be Saturday, November 6, 2010 at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church at 11:00 a.m. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Greer Family Mortuary FD 1408 510-865-3755 www.greermortuary.com