In the beginning, there was Louise Campbell.
Any discussion of promoting arts and culture in West Point begins with Campbell, whose role as an art teacher, nonprofit director and a driving force in establishing most of the events West Point is known for today.
Campbell passed away Thursday at her home at age 87.
“She was probably remembered as one of the most influential people that ever hit West Point or Clay County,” said Lee Stafford, founder of the Prairie Arts Festival. “It was probably the first thing she worked on. She handled the operational side and I was more behind the scenes. She was involved in just about every community activity we have.”
Campbell organized plays, arranged for art shows, even started the town’s Halloween celebration, The Boo Parade.
She taught art in both the city schools and Oak Hill Academy, sharing her passion for the arts with generations of kids. But her interest in West Point went far beyond the arts. Campbell served as the first director for West Point’s Main Street when the city became a charter member of the Mississippi Main Street organization. She also served as the director of the Clay County Economic Development Council, the predecessor of the West Point-Clay County Growth Alliance.
Lisa Klutts, current director for the Growth Alliance, said it’s hard to imagine what West Point would be like without Campbell.
“I’m still processing that,” Klutts said. “I think part of our job now is to make sure the next generation understands what she has done for our community. The older generation knows all that. They remember the things she helped get established – the Prairie Arts Festival, the Boo Parade, the performing arts center. She was always thinking about things that could improve West Point. When she saw a gazebo in a park, she decided West Point should have one. She made it happen.”
Making it happen was one of Campbell’s talents. Stafford said she was someone who knew what she wanted, knew who could make it happen and wasn’t shy about letting them know what she expected.
“I think one of the reasons she was so successful in getting people to do what she wanted was that she was so positive,” Stafford said. “She was so sincere in everything she did and never negative. There are protestors and there are celebraters. Louise was definitely a celebrater.”
The ‘Light Bulb Nazi’
Jeremy Klutts, Lisa’s husband, has known the Campbell family since childhood, but he got to know Louise best during the 11 years he served as the West Point’s building inspector.
“She was 100 pounds soaking wet, 5-foot tall and absolutely a fireball of a little old lady,” Jeremy Klutts said. “She was all about the betterment of West Point. Later in life, when she saw something that was not right or out of place, she would call me. I’d get a call from her several times a week.”
Stafford said he took to calling her the “Light Bulb Nazi.”
“If there was a burned out lightbulb in any building downtown, she would be on the phone to Jeremy,” Stafford said.
“I didn’t mind at all,” Jeremy Klutts said. “What she asked for always needed to be done.”
Stafford had another good-nature nickname for Campbell.
“She wasn’t without vanity,” Stafford said. “Her vision wasn’t good, but she didn’t like the way she thought wearing her glasses made her look. She wouldn’t wear them a lot of time, and I started calling her Mrs. Magoo. I remember seeing her driving downtown one day and decided I would walk over and stop her and talk to her. She almost ran me over. She never saw me.”
Son fulfills some of Campbell’s dreams
Campbell was proud of West Point and was also a proud mom to her daughter, Julie, and son, Critz.
Critz Campbell proved to be an accomplished artist and serves as the head of the Mississippi State University Art Department.
“A lot of the success I’ve been able to enjoy was because of her encouragement and the fact that she wasn’t the least bit startled that I wanted to pursue a life in the arts,” Critz Campbell said. “She always loved what I was doing because I was able to do some of the things she had always dreamed of doing.”
In 2014, Stafford provided money to renovate the McClure Building, which provided the West Point/Clay County Arts Council with its first permanent home. Stafford insisted that the building be named “The Louise Campbell Center for the Arts.”
“I think it was a pretty smart decision,” Critz Campbell said. “It makes us obligated. So she’ll be able to make us do stuff long after she is gone.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
