Charles F Campbell

1924 - 2012

Charles F. Campbell
On October 23rd, Charles F. Campbell passed away from pancreatic cancer at the Episcopal Church's Goodwin House in Falls Church, Virginia. He was 88. His wife and children were with him.
Born in Gainesville, Georgia, Mr. Campbell spent most of his early life in Virginia. He graduated from high school in Alexandria and, after service as a paratrooper and gliderman with the 17th Airborne Division in the Battle of the Bulge, returned to civilian life where he graduated from George Washington University with a degree in history.
In 1949, Mr. Campbell embarked on a career of almost fifty years involvement in corrections, as a federal prison officer, innovative warden, administrator, teacher, writer, Special Master for the Federal Court System, state prison director, Court Monitor for the Cleary court ruling, and consultant to state prison systems.
Throughout his career, Mr. Campbell was a leader in efforts to reduce recidivism, including training and educational programs. He was particularly concerned about the growth of the private prison industry and prison guard unions, both of which too often have financial reasons to encourage over-use of imprisonment. He considered the tremendous overcrowding of America's prisons an unrecognized national tragedy which he discussed in his memoir of a life in prison work Doing Easy Time.
After retiring as head of the Alaska Department of Corrections under Governor Hammond, Mr. Campbell remained in Juneau, which he had grown to love. He hiked the Chilkoot trail and climbed Mt. Juneau at age 60 and took up downhill skiing at 65. He and his wife Ellen Campbell were active in the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church of Juneau until they moved back to Northern Virginia in 2009.
Mr. Campbell was an ardent reader of history and mid-19th century British fiction. He was the author of three books, The Intolerable Hulks, British Shipboard Confinement 1776-1857.
He was preceded in death by his sister Elizabeth Anne Campaign. He is survived by Ellen Campbell, his wife of 65 years, his sister and her husband, Mary and Gordon Cosby, his son and daughter-in-law McKie and Barbara Campbell, his daughter and son-in-law Chandler and Tom Carlson, his daughter and son-in-law Cami and Rob Seward, his son and daughter-in-law Charlie Campbell and Claudia Meyer, and six grandchildren, including Lindsay Campbell and Charlie Moline of Juneau, and three great grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life was held at the Goodwin House on Saturday, September 27th, 2012. A service in Juneau will be held Monday, November 26th at 7:00 pm at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church at 4th and Gold Sts. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Haven House, P.O. Box 20875, Juneau, AK, 99802 or havenhousejuneau.blogspot.com or Christ House, 1717 Columbia Road NW Washington, DC 20009 or www.christhouse.org