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SOUTHERN OREGON JOURNAL Mr. Campbell and fun with engineering Comment By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 24, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 24, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News The first time I met Duncan Campbell, he gave me a tour of his hobby, a small factory next to his home in Central Point for manufacturing kits of model railroad buildings. Last week, he was gracious to welcome me back on short notice to his home overlooking the valley. Seated in his living room, the first thing he handed me was a DVD on breaking the Mayan code. Recalling a little of his story, it wouldn’t have surprised me if he’d said he was the one responsible, but no, ancient hieroglyphs was just one of many subjects he finds enthralling. In fact, he visited most of the sites and reads some glyphs. But that was a sidebar. I set the video aside for later and began ordering my questions, but this wasn’t your ordinary interview. As he shared his storied life, my brain began rotating out-of-round like a lopsided load in a washing machine. I would stop scribbling, look at him, exclaim, “wow,” and begin a new paragraph to make room for the next incredible fact of Mr. Duncan’s incredible life as an electrical engineer. It didn’t take long to deduce that each accomplishment could fill a book. I wondered about a man who’d done so much and yet claimed, “I’ve never worked a day in my life.” Except, possibly when he was thrown into the crucible, as he calls it, of the UC Berkeley engineering program, and they turned up the heat to eliminate the dross of excess pupils. I’ll bet he worked his logarithms off then. Duncan never has considered what he does as work. Corporations and municipalities came to him. At 29, he was the CEO of a small corporation selling patents. He holds 13 U.S. patents of his own and 35 international patents. Some involve counter-espionage. Another is a camera that sorts french fries for MacDonald’s at the rate of 35,000 per hour. That little gadget sat on his coffee table. I picked it up and examined it as if it was something that had fallen from space. “Physics and math tune your mind up,” he told me. I kept mum about the charitable D I’d received in high school algebra. Campbell earned his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at Berkeley and a master's at UC Santa Barbara with a Yale faculty. He believes in a good education. I accused him of genius, but he claims it was plain hard work. “Education is the thing that unlocks the door, and a good education blows the doors off their hinges.” He was one of 24 Imagineers (designers and engineers) who worked for WED, Walter Elias Disney, in designing the Epcot Theme Park in Florida. He has a patent on part of the lunar space rover. He designed the landing gear control unit for the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft. And he has a sense of humor. Duncan is far from retired. In order to give something back, he tutors students in advanced levels of mathematics for free, teaching them to think rather than memorize. He also offers scholarships to students with an interest in pursuing engineering or nursing. If you or someone you know could use financial help obtaining either of these degrees, call him at 541-973-8987. He’s pleased to help someone with a “fire in the belly” to avoid the easy path and work hard toward a goal. I enjoyed my time with Duncan Campbell. He never gave me the feeling he was of superior intellect in any way, though there was little room for doubt. He likes to talk about his exploits, and who can blame him? Yet it takes more than a degree for a man to remain humble and personable after all he’s accomplished. It requires a heart for people. More than once I’ve witnessed how some folks are able to pack what feels like 10 lifetimes into one. Campbell is one of those. And he did it without working a day in his life. Peggy Dover is a freelance writer in Eagle Point. Reach her at [email protected] and join her Facebook page at Peggy Dover-writer. By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 24, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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