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Grace Was Her Middle Name
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| Willie Grace Campbell, a longtime resident of Bunker Hill Tower, was a force in both Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. She passed away Feb. 6 at the age of 90. Photo by Gary Leonard. |
Remembering Willie Campbell, Mentor and Political Leader
Editor's note: One of Downtown's most accomplished citizens has died. Willie Grace Campbell, age 90, slipped away quietly in the wee hours of Feb. 6, her husband of 67 years by her side at their home of 35 years in Bunker Hill Tower. They had spent 73 Christmases together, having met at a time when long engagements were common because few could afford to get married. Los Angeles Downtown News published a cover story about her in 2001 when she was 85. That story, originally headlined, "Grace Is Her Middle Name," is reprinted here.
Willie was a role model for every woman who knew her, and she left the way we all want to leave - mind and wit intact, surrounded by those who loved her, with a lifetime of accomplishments to be proud of. She told us she was ready to go, but of course we weren't ready for her to leave, the many of us who were her friends. As Maureen Kindel said a few days earlier, "I want it to go on forever," meaning friendship with Willie. As another friend, Brenda French, said, on hearing of Willie's death, "Can't you picture Willie, Coretta King, Betty Friedan and Wendy Wasserstein meeting up at the pearly gates? Wouldn't you love to listen in?" -Sue Laris
by Kathryn Maese
Originally printed April 16, 2001
Willie Grace Campbell is a political powerhouse. Her pioneering efforts laid the groundwork for scores of women to become prominent politicians, leaders and businesswomen, both nationally and internationally.
But you might not guess it to look at her. Campbell, 85, has lived quietly for the past 30 years atop Bunker Hill Tower with her husband John, surrounded by a wide-ranging collection of African sculpture, paintings and literature.
As the vice chair of the African Development Foundation (ADF), a presidential appointment, she spends half her time in Washington devising strategies for development and lobbying Congress for funding. She downplays her contributions, however, preferring for others to take the credit.
She won't get a chance to be humble this week, however, as the Los Angeles Women's Foundation honors her with its 2001 Mentor Award.
"I was surprised when I found out about the award," Campbell said. "I always considered myself a strong advocate for women's rights in this country and in developing worlds. I guess because I'm older and have more experience, people tend to ask my advice about careers and marriage." The practice has made her a mentor to many.
A World of Possibilities
One of these is Jan Piercy, now the U.S. Executive Director of the World Bank (an ambassador-level appointment) who roomed with former First Lady Hillary Clinton at Wellesley. Piercy used her connections to help Campbell secure her presidential appointment.
"She has been for me, and many others, an inspiration, mentor and coach, an ahead-of-her-time model and friend," Piercy said.
Another is Joy Chen, a city housing commissioner who Campbell has mentored for 10 years. Chen said Campbell has served as an inspiration to her in her career and personal life, especially when it comes to her mentor's insatiable curiosity about life.
"She took me to the opera recently and we saw Cleopatra," she said. "Then we went home and did Internet research on the life of Cleopatra."
Campbell acknowledged the role she has played to many. "Mentoring is very important today because you're not only giving advice about the future and helping people develop new ways to think about things, but also inspiring them about what is possible," she said.
She recalled her own mentor, a professor at the University of Michigan, which she attended in the 1930s to earn a Master's degree in sociology. "That was at a time when not a lot of women went to graduate school, and they weren't giving scholarships to women," she said. "So I know how important mentoring is, to give people advice and open doors and put you in touch with people."
Leading by Example
More than personal mentoring, friends and colleagues say she has led by example.
"Early on, I was inspired to become a second Margaret Mead," Campbell said. "But that didn't happen because of the war, and then I had my three children. After that, it was difficult because there weren't many women to be role models, so I had to feel my own way."
That way led her to become state president of the Indiana League of Women Voters, and later the vice president of that organization's national arm. In the mid-'70s she became involved in the National Women's Political Caucus and its outgrowth, the National Women's Education Fund, which taught women how to become campaign managers and candidates for elected office.
While Campbell said her typical week in Washington consists of opening mail and talking to her staff, others who know her say she leads an extraordinarily active, glamorous life in Washington.
"She has an extremely important leadership position in our country's foreign policy in Africa," Chen said. "She entertains Congressional leaders at her flat in Georgetown.
"But for her it has always been about focusing on core principles and not just about the socializing part of politics," Chen added. "She wants to make the world a better place for women."
Entertaining Possibilities
Inspiration motivates Campbell in her current position. An authority on African development and a strong believer in helping African countries grow from the "bottom up," Campbell recently secured funds for Tanzanian women to start a dairy network. In Zimbabwe, she helped organize a farming cooperative to export paprika. Campbell noted that women are key in the developing world, accounting for more than 60% of the population and producing 80% of the subsistence.
"One of the things that's exciting about dealing with women in the developing world is being able to bring resources to them," she said. "It changes their lives in a way they never expected and shows them how they can change themselves."
That improvement won't come overnight, Campbell acknowledged. "I think the changes that the women's movement wants to bring about will take a long time, because attitudes and institutions need to change first," she said. "The movement is the most important phenomenon over the last century because women make up over 50% of the population. Many people don't understand to what extent it's going on in the developing world. It's a revolution."
It is also a revolution Campbell said she plans to take part in. "I will continue to work for as long as I'm able to. But when you're my age, you just can't be sure."
But for those who have come into contact with Campbell, one thing is for sure. "There's just a sense of wisdom about her," Chen said. "When I've been sad about something and we're just sitting and talking, it's great, because she's developed a real sense of grace about her."
page 12, 2/13/2006
© Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to redistribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.
Willie was a role model for every woman who knew her, and she left the way we all want to leave - mind and wit intact, surrounded by those who loved her, with a lifetime of accomplishments to be proud of. She told us she was ready to go, but of course we weren't ready for her to leave, the many of us who were her friends. As Maureen Kindel said a few days earlier, "I want it to go on forever," meaning friendship with Willie. As another friend, Brenda French, said, on hearing of Willie's death, "Can't you picture Willie, Coretta King, Betty Friedan and Wendy Wasserstein meeting up at the pearly gates? Wouldn't you love to listen in?" -Sue Laris
by Kathryn Maese
Originally printed April 16, 2001
Willie Grace Campbell is a political powerhouse. Her pioneering efforts laid the groundwork for scores of women to become prominent politicians, leaders and businesswomen, both nationally and internationally.
But you might not guess it to look at her. Campbell, 85, has lived quietly for the past 30 years atop Bunker Hill Tower with her husband John, surrounded by a wide-ranging collection of African sculpture, paintings and literature.
As the vice chair of the African Development Foundation (ADF), a presidential appointment, she spends half her time in Washington devising strategies for development and lobbying Congress for funding. She downplays her contributions, however, preferring for others to take the credit.
She won't get a chance to be humble this week, however, as the Los Angeles Women's Foundation honors her with its 2001 Mentor Award.
"I was surprised when I found out about the award," Campbell said. "I always considered myself a strong advocate for women's rights in this country and in developing worlds. I guess because I'm older and have more experience, people tend to ask my advice about careers and marriage." The practice has made her a mentor to many.
One of these is Jan Piercy, now the U.S. Executive Director of the World Bank (an ambassador-level appointment) who roomed with former First Lady Hillary Clinton at Wellesley. Piercy used her connections to help Campbell secure her presidential appointment.
"She has been for me, and many others, an inspiration, mentor and coach, an ahead-of-her-time model and friend," Piercy said.
Another is Joy Chen, a city housing commissioner who Campbell has mentored for 10 years. Chen said Campbell has served as an inspiration to her in her career and personal life, especially when it comes to her mentor's insatiable curiosity about life.
"She took me to the opera recently and we saw Cleopatra," she said. "Then we went home and did Internet research on the life of Cleopatra."
Campbell acknowledged the role she has played to many. "Mentoring is very important today because you're not only giving advice about the future and helping people develop new ways to think about things, but also inspiring them about what is possible," she said.
She recalled her own mentor, a professor at the University of Michigan, which she attended in the 1930s to earn a Master's degree in sociology. "That was at a time when not a lot of women went to graduate school, and they weren't giving scholarships to women," she said. "So I know how important mentoring is, to give people advice and open doors and put you in touch with people."
More than personal mentoring, friends and colleagues say she has led by example.
"Early on, I was inspired to become a second Margaret Mead," Campbell said. "But that didn't happen because of the war, and then I had my three children. After that, it was difficult because there weren't many women to be role models, so I had to feel my own way."
That way led her to become state president of the Indiana League of Women Voters, and later the vice president of that organization's national arm. In the mid-'70s she became involved in the National Women's Political Caucus and its outgrowth, the National Women's Education Fund, which taught women how to become campaign managers and candidates for elected office.
While Campbell said her typical week in Washington consists of opening mail and talking to her staff, others who know her say she leads an extraordinarily active, glamorous life in Washington.
"She has an extremely important leadership position in our country's foreign policy in Africa," Chen said. "She entertains Congressional leaders at her flat in Georgetown.
"But for her it has always been about focusing on core principles and not just about the socializing part of politics," Chen added. "She wants to make the world a better place for women."
Inspiration motivates Campbell in her current position. An authority on African development and a strong believer in helping African countries grow from the "bottom up," Campbell recently secured funds for Tanzanian women to start a dairy network. In Zimbabwe, she helped organize a farming cooperative to export paprika. Campbell noted that women are key in the developing world, accounting for more than 60% of the population and producing 80% of the subsistence.
"One of the things that's exciting about dealing with women in the developing world is being able to bring resources to them," she said. "It changes their lives in a way they never expected and shows them how they can change themselves."
That improvement won't come overnight, Campbell acknowledged. "I think the changes that the women's movement wants to bring about will take a long time, because attitudes and institutions need to change first," she said. "The movement is the most important phenomenon over the last century because women make up over 50% of the population. Many people don't understand to what extent it's going on in the developing world. It's a revolution."
It is also a revolution Campbell said she plans to take part in. "I will continue to work for as long as I'm able to. But when you're my age, you just can't be sure."
But for those who have come into contact with Campbell, one thing is for sure. "There's just a sense of wisdom about her," Chen said. "When I've been sad about something and we're just sitting and talking, it's great, because she's developed a real sense of grace about her."
page 12, 2/13/2006
© Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to redistribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.
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