The Exploration Place and the BCPA pay tribute to Bob Campbell
The Exploration Place: Prince George Museum
The team at The Exploration Place is saddened to hear about the recent passing of retired Manager of Curatorial services, Bob Campbell. Bob played a pivotal role in shaping the museum’s curatorial direction, leaving a lasting impact on its development. Bob was a dedicated member of the arts and culture community in Prince George and was an integral part of The Exploration Place for over 15 years until his retirement in 2016.
In addition to serving as Manager of Curatorial Services at the Exploration Place, Bob was a devoted member of the Rotary Club, the Prince George Heritage Commission, and the BC Paleontological Alliance. Through these widespread community organizations, Bob was able to exercise his interest and expertise, bringing history to life and encouraging citizen science before it was the buzzword it is today. His contributions demonstrated why arts, culture, and science are so important to the community he made his home.
Bob was also one of the city’s leading world-beat percussionists, “with a knowledge base as extensive as his drum collection,” according to friend Frank Peebles, who wrote about his retirement in 2016 for the Prince George Citizen.
Bob began his journey at The Exploration Place, then known as the Fraser Fort George Regional Museum (FFGRM), in the early 1990s after working as a dinosaur technician at the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller. It was there that he specialized in the preparation of microfossils. As a member of the technical staff at the Royal Tyrell Museum, he went on many fossil collecting and field trips through the mountains of Alberta, British Columbia, and the Arctic, gaining valuable insight and knowledge that he eventually brought to the FFGRM.
Known affectionately as “Dino Bob,” he brought several large field jackets containing Hadrosaur fossils from Drumheller to Prince George to lead programs for children and amateur paleontologists in 1994. Those field jackets still exist at The Exploration Place and are still used in paleo programming.
In 2000, Bob and his wife, Elizabeth, were contracted to manage much of the exhibit design when the museum expanded and rebranded as The Exploration Place. Bob had an artistic flair with an art school background and designed the popular Children’s Gallery that is remembered so fondly.
In 2001, Bob became the official Manager of Curatorial Services at The Exploration Place. In 2013, he was honoured with the British Columbia Museum Association Award of Merit for his work on the exhibit “Cultural Expressions of the Lheidli T’enneh.” Bob achieved noteworthy success in researching, curating, and mounting this collaborative exhibit with the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation. In fact, Bob’s work with the Lheidli T’enneh was instrumental in building the strong relationship The Exploration Place now enjoys with the Lheidli T’enneh. Bob was deeply committed to reconciliation and worked tirelessly to share the complete history of Prince George. His dedication and leadership in this effort made a significant impact on the local community. Never one to seek recognition, Bob worked tirelessly behind the scenes, driven by his passion and determination for meaningful change.
Bob’s passing is a tremendous loss, not only for The Exploration Place but for the entire Prince George community.
British Columbia Paleontological Alliance (BCPA)
Dan Bowen, Chair with Directors Charles Helm and Jim Haggart
On behalf of the BCPA and our directors we would like to pay tribute to our friend and colleague, Bob Campbell. We were sad to hear of his passing.
Bob was the leading force in establishing the Northern British Columbia Paleontology Society in Prince George and was an active societal member. He served as a societal director on the board of the BCPA for over 15 years, and, in his capacity of financial director, he kept the financial record for the BCPA balanced and in good order. He would travel to BCPA meetings to represent the Exploration Place as a supporting representative.
One of Bob’s many passions was paleontology, not only with discovery in the field but also at the Exploration Place, implementing educational programs, creating displays, and promoting paleontology in Northern BC. He was instrumental in setting up the paleontological exhibits in the Exploration Place. Bob also organized and was the chair for the 1992 British Columbia Paleontological Symposium held in Prince George, a popular and successful event that highlighted many new fossil discoveries in Northern BC.
Bob pretty much singlehandedly kept the NBCPS up-and-running for many years by finding speakers to give public lectures or giving talks himself, as well as leading field trips for the societal members. His excitement and zeal for fossil collecting and education motivated many individuals to dig into the science themselves.
Bob and his wife Elizabeth contributed conceptual artwork that was utilized in BCPA documents and publications, including the very popular poster Journey Through Time with BC’s Fabulous Fossils. Bob also contributed periodic updates on new developments in northern British Columbia paleontology to the BCPA Newsletter.
In 1993, Bob discovered the holotype of Agkistrognathus, a thalattosaur marine reptile from the Triassic of BC, and the species name ‘campbelli’ was bestowed on the fossil in Bob’s honour. The genus name of Agkistrognathus translates to “hook jaw”. There was only the one species known in this genus, for several years a fitting reminder of an individual who himself was unique and one of a kind. We learned that recently that other specimens of Agkistrognathus campbelli have been found, so Bob’s legacy will live on.
Bob, we will miss you.
