This week, we learned the sad news that longtime friend and university supporter Robert (Bobby) Campbell passed away on February 17. Bobby epitomized the kind of success that is possible in America’s free enterprise system, and his story was inspiring to all who heard it. He started out with very little, worked hard, and became a tremendous success.

Bobby entered the shoe industry right out of high school as a salesman with the Kinney Shoe Company and moved up the ranks, eventually founding BBC International, which today is one of the leading children’s and athletic footwear design and sourcing companies in the world. He helped bring light-up sneakers and Heelys, the shoes with wheels, to market.

I had the great privilege of awarding an honorary doctorate to Bobby during the Spring 2017 commencement ceremonies. I’m especially glad that he agreed to speak at the ceremony, so that our students could hear first-hand about how this self-made man built his business – and did it the right way – with hard work, as well as respect for business ethics and the environment. Bobby didn’t graduate from college, so I am extremely proud that he was able to call FAU his alma mater.

Bobby and his wife, Barbara, have been loyal supporters of the annual “Keep Memories Alive” walk, benefiting FAU’s Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center, and in 2016 they generously gave $5 million to create the Bobby and Barbara Campbell Academic Success Center in the Schmidt Family Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence.

I want to extend my most sincere condolences to Barbara, as well as Bobby’s three children and five grandchildren. We will miss truly Bobby, but his legacy will endure through his life’s work at BBC International, and through the many lives in our community he touched with his philanthropy. Click here for the full obituary.