Biographical Text
Professor Emerita of Elementary Education Beulah Catherine Campbell (May 7, 1916 -), retired college professor, was born in Campbellsville, Kentucky, the daughter of Bertha Durham Campbell and Abraham Harding Campbell. She has two brothers, Omer Harding Campbell and Samuel Wray Campbell. Her grandparents were Samuel and Kizzie Harding Campbell and Samuel and Mary Catherine Durham. She began college in 1935 at Campbellsville College and in 1937 she transferred to Western Kentucky State University and received an A.B. degree in elementary education in 1941. Meanwhile she taught for six years in a one-room school in Taylor County, Kentucky. She completed her M.A. degree in elementary education in 1944 at Western Kentucky State University. While doing her graduate work, Ms. Campbell taught fifth graders in the public school in Clinton, Tennessee. In 1943, Campbell began work with the Appalachian State Teachers College's Demonstration School teaching third grade. She also taught college classes in elementary education in the summer school at the college from 1945-46. In 1947, Campbell became an assistant professor of elementary education at Westminister College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania where she served until 1957. During this time, she did additional graduate work in children's literature and reading at Colorado State College in Greeley, Colorado for one summer and at George Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee for another summer. In 1954-55 she attended Teachers College of Columbia University in New York City where she studied children's literature and teacher education. During this year she also she supervised first-year teachers at East Orange, New Jersey. In 1957 Beulah Campbell began her career at Appalachian State University in North Carolina. While serving as a professor in the College of Learning and Human Development, she gained national recognition conducting children's literature conferences, festivals, and workshops for teachers and librarians. She also hosted study tours in the United States, British Isles and Scandinavia, where students met authors and illustrators of award winning children's books. Campbell had a book dedicated to her in 1964. The book, Pocketful of Cricket, was written by Rebecca Caudill and illustrated by Evelyn Ness. She was included as one of the characters (Miss Aberdeen, an elementary school teacher) in the book Katie Kittenheart by Miriam Mason. Campbell was awarded grants from the Department of Education in Washington, D.C. to conduct an institute in children's literature ($54,000, in 1965) and an institute in black literature for children ($20,000, in 1970) which was rated as one of the top ten institutes in the nation in 1970. In a trip sponsored by the Ford Venture Program, Campbell went in 1974 to England to visit eight British illustrators who had won that country's Kate Greenaway Award. She purchased illustrations from the award-winning books of these artists for the collection at Appalachian. Campbell also received the Trustee's award for outstanding teaching at Appalachian. In light of her many accomplishments and national renown, she was promoted to full professor in 1978, and in 1981 she was granted emerita status. Although she retired from teaching on June 11, 1981, Campbell continued to serve Appalachian for two years in 1981-82 by collecting the original art work from children's books and preparing it for exhibit. And those pieces which she has collected for herself, since retirement, will be placed in the Appalachian museum as well. Beulah Campbell reports that retirement is "like one big vacation." She is involved in various groups at the Campbellsville Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the Campbellsville Women's Club, the Campbellsville College Alumni Association, and the Taylor County Library. She enjoys spending much time reading, gardening, visiting friends and relatives, and traveling her beautiful home state of Kentucky. Sources: Appalachian State University files and personal correspondence. - Dr. Richard D. Howe and Miss Maryon Urquhart
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