Clarkson Magazine

Campbell Gift of $1 Million Given in Honor of Education

Karen Collins, Edie Campbell, Frank
Campbell '42 and Tony Collins

In 1938, Clarkson offered Francis B. "Frank" Campbell a scholarship to attend Clarkson and play on the football team. As Frank recalls his time as a student more than 60 years ago, he says, "Clarkson gave me more than an opportunity to play winning football. I also completed the rigorous coursework for a degree in chemical engineering and developed leadership skills as class president, not to mention the time I spent with my future wife, Edie, who was then a student at the Crane School of Music."

Frank and Edie recently gave a generous gift of $1,000,000 to the University in honor, they say, of all that Clarkson has given to them. "I've always been proud to be associated with this University," says Frank. "I have very good memories of my student days. I always had it in the back of my mind that I should give back."

Today, Frank and Edie enjoy the simple joys that sharing an active lifetime together brings. Frank retired in 1982 from General Electric after a successful 37-year career, most of it spent at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory where he held various managerial positions.

"It was my participation as a GE employee in their stock purchase program," Frank noted, "that put me in a position today to make this gift." The Campbells were pleased that they were able to use part of their appreciated GE stock to establish a charitable gift annuity that would pay them a guaranteed income for life that would more than offset their dividend income from the GE stock. At the same time, they wanted to give part of their gift as an outright gift that would help the University today.

"We've been involved with Clarkson and the extended community since Frank graduated," recalls Edie. "Of course, I spent a lot of time at Clarkson and knew a lot of the people here when I was a student at Crane so I sort of adopted it as my own."

The Campbells designated their gift as "unrestricted," which allows the University to apply their support to those areas of greatest need and impact. Their generosity is only the latest milestone in a lifetime marked by giving.

Frank Campbell '42 senior
year picture.

"For over six decades, Edie and Frank have offered their leadership, support, time and loyalty to Clarkson," says Clarkson President Tony Collins. "They are a selfless, warm and engaging couple who cherish the idea of helping our students achieve an education. On behalf of all who will benefit from this generosity, we offer our appreciation for this wonderful gift in the same spirit in which it was given, with gracious thanks and deep appreciation."

For years the couple attended alumni reunion each year and kept in touch with old Clarkson friends like George Maclean '42. "George and I were Sigma Delta brothers and we both worked at Potsdam Hospital," explains Frank.

Frank and Edie were also very involved in their local alumni chapter in Schenectady, organizing and hosting regional activities including dinners, presidential receptions and hockey events. Frank also served as his class reunion chair "on and off" over the years, including the 40th and 45th reunions. He regularly served as a Clarkson Fund volunteer for regional phonathons and served as class planned gift coordinator.

 Frank's decades of involvement at both the regional and national levels also included membership in the Alumni Association Board of Governors.  He completed his service on the board as Alumni Association vice president in 1976-77 and president in 1977-78. In 1992, Frank was recognized with a Golden Knight Award, the University's highest alumni honor.

The Campbells have watched the University adapt to new times and chart new courses over the years. "In many ways, the Clarkson of today is different from when I attended but the changes have been incremental," says Frank. "We've enjoyed watching the University's development over the years."

The consolidation of the campus to the hill didn't surprise Frank. "That's been talked about as long as I can remember. And I am happy to hear that Walker Arena is being renovated. That was the first indoor hockey rink in the region and we spent a lot of time there watching hockey games." 

Still, some things remain the same. "I understand that chemical engineering still has a reputation for being one of the toughest programs in the school," Franks says. "We studied hard but we also developed wonderful and lasting friendships. I imagine that hasn't changed either."