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I am delighted to have Stanley Campbell as my neighbor.
As a student at Florida A&M University, Campbell worked on a project to plan the optimal course for the Voyager 2 spacecraft. He was a rocket scientist from a very young age.
But he did not rest on his laurels. Since his college days, he served as a Navy pilot for over eight years. He was a member of NASA’s Executive Advisory Board for some time.
The company he founded developed the artificial intelligence software that led to the arrest of Dennis Rader, a notorious “BTK” serial killer who was convicted of ten murders over 30 years.
After a long career defending our country from domestic and foreign enemies, Campbell purchased Palm City’s Martin Downs Golf Club about a year and a half ago.
Oh yeah, Campbell also happens to be black.
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His skin color didn’t prevent him from having an illustrious career, but some local yahoos are clearly in trouble.
Over New Year’s Eve weekend, trolls spray slanderous and sexually explicit images slandering blacks and Jews in golf course tunnels. In the early morning of January 2nd, an employee discovered his handiwork.
Many of us later regretted things we said or did during New Year’s celebrations, but this takes that notion to a whole new level.
Regardless, it was not an isolated incident. Campbell said there had been other vandalism on the course since taking ownership of it.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating, but Campbell has mixed feelings about the perpetrators being brought to justice. It would almost destroy their future.
Campbell says that if it is an underage child who commits the vandalism, this mistake can ruin their lives. If they turn themselves in to Campbell, he said he will try to “make lemonade out of lemons” by talking to them about race relations and having them work on the course cleanup crew.
Campbell believes multiple people were involved because at least two different spray paint footprints were left at the scene. No one believes this is the work of a criminal mastermind.
For that matter, who would target a man who helped take down a notorious serial killer?
Campbell said he’s not interested in using his AI software to catch bad guys in this case, but I’d love to. Justice doesn’t get more poetic than that.
Instead, he focuses on running golf courses that welcome people of all races and creeds.
Willing to follow country club rules. For example, inside the club building, golfers are required to wear collared shirts and remove hats. Golf has a tradition of being a predominantly white sport, but Campbell wants to change that image.
“We want to be open, we want to be inclusive, we want everyone to feel welcome,” he said.
By the way, there are only about 10 black-owned golf courses in the United States. African-American Golfer’s Digest lists 10, while other sources slightly exceed the total.
Basketball legend Michael Jordan owns the ultra-luxury Golf Grove XXIII golf course in Hove Sound.
It should be a source of community pride – and in most people’s eyes, it is. Martin County residents should want to earn a reputation for being welcoming and inclusive.
However, its reputation is still a work in progress. Less than a year later, he was removed from an incident that drew national attention when six of her students were photographed outside Hidden Oaks Elementary School holding a letter containing racial slurs. was
After the photos were posted on social media, there was a public outcry, including the students being teased on “Saturday Night Live.” The Martin County School District has imposed penalties on students who have not been made public. One of her students apologized at a rally hosted by a local chapter of the NAACP.
Jimmy Smith, president of the local NAACP chapter, told me last week that there were no immediate plans to hold a meeting on the subject.
“We’re trying to keep the investigation on track,” Smith said. “Hopefully they’ll nip it in the bud.”
Like Campbell, Mr. Smith does not let incidents like Martin Downes’ vandalism define who and where we are as a society, but rather the progress made in race relations over the last few decades. He said he wanted to focus on
“Most white people in America are against that,” Smith said.
Meanwhile, the NAACP is planning its annual fundraising gala on March 11 at the Marriott Hutchinson Island Beach Resort, Golf & Marina.
The event’s keynote speaker is Cheryl Campbell, Undersecretary for Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services. She also happens to be the wife of Stanley Campbell.
Thankfully, neither Stanley nor Sheryl Campbell will deter them from continuing their lives of service to their communities.
“We’re too busy having fun to be distracted,” said Stanley Campbell. “We just want people to have fun with us.”
This column reflects the opinion of Blake Fontenay. Contact him at blake.fontenay@tcpalm.com or his email at 772-232-5424.
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