CKC Pays Tribute to Past CKC Board Member James (Jim) Malcolm Campbell
The Canadian Kennel Club regrets to announce that James (Jim) Malcolm Campbell of Kamloops, BC, passed away on the night of January 4th. A well-loved figure in the Canadian dog fancy, Jim had been a CKC member for 57 years, serving as Director of Zone 12 (British Columbia, Interior, and Yukon) for three terms from 2003 to 2011. During this time, Jim was also Chair of the Breed Standards Committee and Chair of the Retriever Field Trial Committee.
Jim had a varied career—as a jockey, to being in the Navy, and at Canada Customs—and on weekends he worked alongside professional handlers. Licensed as a professional all-breed handler by the AKC in 1971, Jim showed many top winning dogs across Canada, the United States, South America, and Europe. After retiring from handling, Jim began the successful Western Dog Shows show secretary business in partnership with his late daughter, Kim Campbell, in 1989; each year, they represented the majority of clubs in British Columbia.
In honour of his years of dedication and contribution to the CKC, and the dog fancy in general, Jim was recognized with a Judge Emeritus license at the December 2011 Board of Directors’ meeting. CKC Board Chair Joan Bennett fondly recalls: "I have many memories of Jim, from lively discussions on rule interpretations to an unconventional drive to the Calgary February shows, sitting on an orange crate as the "loaner" van only had one seat, and that was for the driver—and no winter tires. Some years later I was returning from an eastern Washington circuit. When I reached the border in the middle of the night, I was told to report to the office—only to find Jim, who had had to leave the last show early in order to report to work, wanting to know the final results! There was never a dull moment, and there will never be another Jim Campbell."
Jim’s infectious smile will be missed; the kind words he often had for fellow exhibitors, and his heart of gold will be long remembered. Our thoughts are with his family and many friends at this difficult time.