GRANBURY — John G. Campbell, 89, passed away Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016 in Granbury.
Memorial Service: 2:00 PM Friday, January 8, 2016, at Lakeside Baptist Church.
Memorials: Pecan Plantation EMS.
John Campbell’s life revolved full circle around Pecan Plantation in Granbury TX.
John was born on December 28, 1926 in Grace City, North Dakota. His parents Alexander and Florence McKusick Campbell were early pioneers of North Dakota, moving there from Quebec, Canada near the turn of the century. In 1932 when he was 5 the Campbell’s learned about a colony that was being formed in Christiansted, Texas, which is in the DeCordova Bend, of the Brazos River, just south of Granbury, now called Pecan Plantation, this was his residence at his time of death. He married Zuda Mae Bennett on Sept. 19, 1946 in San Diego. He served in the Army Air Corps and the U.S. Navy and was an executive for TOCOM, Inc.
After serving in the Navy he attended and graduated from Clifton Junior College in Clifton TX where he continued his interest in movie projection and radio repair. With the advent of cable systems in other states he ventured to build a system in Mineral Wells TX. He built one of the first cable systems in the country, (the first in Texas) in Mineral Wells, TX in 1951 and founded one of the most important manufacturers of hardware, CAS Manufacturing, later known as TOCOM, Inc. In 1964 he won the cable franchise for Austin TX. John was a co-founder in the Texas CATV association in 1959 and hosted the first meeting in 1960 in Mineral Wells.
In the 1970’s TOCOM took off as it developed two-way interactive systems that led the way for cable television as we know it today. In 1984 he sold TOCOM to General Instrument. Upon his return to Pecan Plantation he was active in the local cable station there working to bring all of his knowledge including that of Christiansted, to his hometown for the enjoyment of all.
He was a dedicated inventor, entrepreneur and businessman, who jumped in feet first at the start of a dynamic industry and made enormous personal contributions to it. John never met a stranger and words cannot express how much he will be missed.
His parents; his wife Zuda; and a brother, Chester Campbell, preceded John in death.
Survivors: Children, Ben and Phyllis Campbell, John E. and Kim Campbell, Becki and Jon Gilliam and Tom Campbell; Grandchildren, Troy Campbell, Chris and Lisa Campbell, Jeremy Campbell, Joshua Campbell, Kyle and Jennifer Campbell and Dustin and Janis Campbell; Great Grandchildren, Kristin and Rainer Gleinig, Alexandria Campbell, Claudia Campbell, Haleigh Campbell, Zachariah Campbell, Timothy Campbell, Brendan Campbell, Korben Campbell, Austin Campbell; Great-great Grandchildren, Grayson Gleinig and Nora Gleinig; brother, David and Lyndel Campbell; and sister-in-law, Sherlene Gore
