Campbell Forward tour connects Raleigh alumni, supporters

President William M. Downs smiled broadly as he shared stories of his Raleigh upbringing while engaging with hundreds of Campbell University alumni and friends on October 1 at the Raleigh campus of Campbell's Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law.

"There's no place like home," Downs told the audience. "Tonight is particularly special for me. This is my hometown. I was born here. Grew up here. Went to school here. Still have a family home here. Still have family members living here. I am just so happy to be home and so happy that Campbell University and our Law School can also call Raleigh home."

The University's sixth president reflected with humor on meeting another Raleigh native, his wife of 36 years Kim Downs, many years ago in a Raleigh elementary school classroom. "I met the future First Lady of Campbell University back when I was in fourth grade, and we ran against each other for class president." Campbell's future First Lady, President Downs conceded, won that contest with ease.

Having grown up in the capital city, Downs invited those in the crowd to raise their hands if they were Raleigh natives or alumni of local schools. The room responded with laughter, cheers, and spirited rally cries.

Home is where the heart is, and conversations throughout the evening elicited heartfelt testimonials from Campbell alumni that underscored pride and affinity for the school's influential presence in Wake County.

Raleigh's "Campbell Forward" evening attracted Andrew Miller ('19) and Jessica McClellan ('25 Law) to attend, their own Campbell love story rooted in college. Miller was a student worker for the Campbell basketball program and then spent two years on staff in sports information, covering the Fighting Camels across the country. McClellan would take countless trips from Wilmington to Buies Creek to visit Miller during their undergrad experience, deepening her affection for the community. This fall, she starts at Marshall & Taylor PLLC in Raleigh as a proud Campbell Law graduate.

"Campbell has been such a life-changing experience," said McCellan. "To go to law school every day in downtown Raleigh and have people like Dean Leonard and great faculty pour into you - I don't even have the words."

For the last 20 years, Marsha Patterson ('08) has been adorned in orange. "I gained a second family the moment I stepped foot on campus," Patterson recounted. "I'm very proud to be a Campbell Camel. We have 50,000+ alumni, and I'm excited to meet every single one of them. This is a special group."

Danny Watkins ('77, '80), the former high school principal of North Raleigh Christian Academy and current pastor at Samaria Baptist Church, said his Campbell journey is indelibly etched with transformative experiences.

"I've visited over 22 counties, and I still believe Buies Creek is as good as it gets," said Watkins. "Every single day of my life, I still use something wonderful I've learned from my time at Campbell University."

Raleigh was the third of six stops on the Campbell Forward tour, designed to introduce the University's sixth president in 138 years to Campbell's growing alumni base. Downs will next head to Fayetteville on Oct. 22, and he speaks on main campus at the Oscar N. Harris Student Union on Oct. 28. The tour wraps up in Wilmington on November 6.

At each stop along the way, President Downs emphasizes a central pillar of his vision: "The world needs more Campbell. And it is our plan, it is our purpose, and it is our promise to meet that need."

Registration for all remaining tour dates can be found here.

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