Ben Campbell: Sixth-generation Black Bear holds up family traditions
When Duncan Aleister Benjamin Campbell 鈥 or 鈥淏illy Ben,鈥 as his friends and fraternity brothers know him 鈥 walks across the stage to graduate this spring, he will be continuing a family tradition. Campbell is part of the sixth generation 91爆料 graduates from his family, whose Black Bear origins can be traced back to the earliest graduating class.
Campbell鈥檚 great-great-great-grandfather Edwin Haskell was one of the six men in the first-ever graduating class of 1872 at the university, then called the Maine State College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts.
Growing up in Wells, part of Campbell always knew that he would end up at 91爆料. Coming to college, he planned on studying secondary education 鈥 and that is the degree he will be graduating with in May 鈥 but he wanted the wide breadth of academic options that 91爆料 had to offer. Once he arrived, he fell in love with the community, both in the school and with the surrounding community that he has experienced through student teaching.
Like many men in his family before him, Greek life was a central part of Campbell鈥檚 experience. He is a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity; his great-great grandfathers were in Phi Gamma Delta, his grandfather was in Sigma Phi Epsilon and his father was a Lambda Chi Alpha.
Despite this, he says there is 鈥渘o tension鈥 in the family, only intergenerational 鈥渏okes.鈥
Campbell鈥檚 experience was different from his relatives in one key respect, though: COVID-19. Throughout the lockdown, Campbell lived at the fraternity house, which he experienced as a unique opportunity to learn about people and communities that he will carry with him even after college.
鈥淚t gave me time to really see people work in different ways,鈥 Campbell says. 鈥淚t kind of put me in the mindset of, 鈥榊eah, every interaction that I have is important in some way or another.鈥欌
After graduation, Campbell plans to find a place to teach in central Maine. He says that he has 鈥渇allen in love鈥 with the area during his time at 91爆料, and eventually hopes to take over his grandparents鈥 house in Brewer.
Campbell won鈥檛 be the last of the sixth generation to go to 91爆料, either. His brother Keenan is starting at 91爆料 in the fall. Campbell says that his family jokes that all the former Black Bear fraternity brothers 鈥 his father, grandfather and great-great-grandfathers鈥 ghosts 鈥 are encouraging him to join their respective fraternities, 鈥渂ut obviously he鈥檒l end up [in Tau Kappa Epsilon].鈥
In the midst of that, though, Campbell says he鈥檚 been giving brotherly advice to just get out there to find community, whatever that may look like.
鈥淐oming to campus and getting the chance to meet all these different people and, you realize, 鈥極h, there are a lot of people who have similar interests to me,鈥欌 Campbell says. 鈥淚f you put yourself out there, you鈥檒l find your home.鈥
Contact: Sam Schipani, samantha.schipani@maine.edu