Al Campbell?
Forgive me, I used to frequent FAOL a few years ago. Al was one of my favorite authors, and he gave me a lot of good advice on various flies, and on rod building. I noticed that his column ends with just a few articles late in 2004 -- is Al still with us?
nuttyonepdx
Sorry to be the one to tell you but Al passed away and is watching over us.
Check some of the older post and you can get the whole story..
Harold
That's sad. I tried searching the archives, but I didn't find anything leading me one way or the other. I kind of had a feeling, because Al didn't seem like the type to just stop his column without warning. He'll be missed, that's for sure.
You are absolutely right, we should have some which explains Al's passing in his section.
I promise to work on it. In the meantime,
here is my farewell to him (his obituary is there too): [url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/ldy/ldy050205.html:5e63e]http://www.flyanglersonline.com/ldy/ldy050205.html[/url:5e63e]
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LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL
Deanna, last year was kind of a crazy one for me with my son's injuries and I had missed that article on Al. I'm really glad you posted the link so I could see it.
What a wonderful man he was. So many talents and so great a heart. I hope the legacy he has left behind here at FAOL will endure forever!
All I can say is God Bless to all...This thread has overwhelmed me...Thanks again for the look back Deanna..still just does not seem right this world, At times...Really wish I'd known him...
Wish ya great fishing,Bill
Al Campbell was a amazing person, friend to all that he met, a mentor to those who he never met! His patience and sharing of knowledge, his encouragement of trying something complicated (by making it easy to understand), was a gift to us all. We are the legacy of Al Campbell, and I know I will carry on trying to help others as Al helped me. Even we all were sadden by Al's death amost a year ago, he lives on in all of us who knew and loved him, and his love still lives inside me.
~Parnelli
I continue to promote, tie and share Al's crappie candy fly. It is a miniature clouser to me.
Once I sent him a couple of my wifes large chocolate chip cookies for Christmas after chatting with him in the chat room here on FAOL.
Bob Scheidt
Al loved hearing from everyone! He really enjoyed responding to the email and questions. Something most don't know, Al attended divinity school and dropped out because he couldn't find a way to accept the differences in dogma of the organized church with the Bible. He really lived his faith.
He served in the Air Force, and retired from the military - during the Viet Nam war he was hitch-hiking in uniform back home for leave, and was attacked by a couple of anti-war guys and left for dead in a ditch in Montana. He survived of course, but I've wondered if that beating had any bearing on the brain tumor which took his life.
Many stories about Al are still untold.
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LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL
Three days in South Dakota, riding up and down the hillsides with Al Campbell, in his beatup Red Wagon (with Buford in the backseat). The man was just a fountain of knowledge, and I was in total awe of everything he said. I felt at ease with Al, and just tried to soak it all in
I learned from Al,that he only drank Doctor Pepper, and had beaten the curse of the Demon Rum. While he was in the Air Force, he would work double shifts, to acumulate timeoff to, hire out for Guiding Fly Anglers, or those interested in hunting Elk.
He overcame many hard times in his life, and kept his humor and good nature.
LadyFisher, I don't think he was beaten up by Hippies. Hippies would never do that, I spent a month in Hippy Central USA (Haight & Asbury, San Francisco), on my way to Vietnam. There were others on the fringes that were Anti War Fanatics, but they were not Hippies! Hippies would never use force, they would give you a flower, and say "Peace!"
....Parnelli "Short Hair Hippy"
U.S. Army 1968-1995
[This message has been edited by Steven H. McGarthwaite (edited 09 January 2006).]
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