Bill Campbell
Jan. 14, 1924 - Apr 1, 2021
William B. (Bill) Campbell, 97, a longtime resident of Orange Beach and Fairhope, died Thursday, April 1, 2021 in Richmond Hill, Georgia. Bill was born in Natchez, Ms. After graduating high school, he worked as a machinist in the Mobile shipyards. In 1943, he joined the Army Air Force, where he completed training to become a B-24 pilot. During a brief stay in a military hospital in New Orleans, he received particularly attentive care from a registered nurse by the name of Vergie Sandy Sanderson. They began their 71 year marriage in 1946. Upon completion of his military service, he received his Bachelor s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Mississippi State and his Master s degree from Georgia Tech in 1951. The family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where Bill worked at General Electric s Aircraft Engine division, helping to push the limits of jet engine design to power military fighter planes as well as the C-5 Military Transport. Afte