The family of a ”legendary and absolutely inspiring” Fife school teacher who died suddenly, hours after returning from an Easter holiday break, say they have been heartened by the many warm tributes from shocked pupils, staff and friends.
At the family home in Kettlebridge, near Cupar, Catriona Campbell described her banjo-playing, motorbike-loving bearded husband Alasdair as a ”real character” who was renowned for his wit, charisma, ability to engage with challenging pupils and the love he had for his family.
She added: ”He was a lovely man who loved his family above all else. It was just too short a life, but he lived life to the full, and then some.”
The 54-year-old English teacher, who taught at Glenwood High in Glenrothes for 19 years and latterly had been working as a supply teacher at Viewforth High, Kirkcaldy, died suddenly on Sunday morning after taking ill at home.
Initially it was thought he had suffered a severe asthma attack, but Mrs Campbell confirmed he had suffered a massive heart attack.
The couple had a ”great holiday” which coincided with their 30th wedding anniversary, spending a week in Spain staying with Mrs Campbell’s brother, Geoffrey Anderson, who teaches in Cartagena. They spent a couple of nights in Cumbria then visited twin 18-month-old grandsons, Alexander and Lucas, in Edinburgh.
News of Mr Campbell’s death sparked a flood of tributes from his former pupils.
Commenters on this website described him as the “best English teacher out there”, adding: “He made it so interesting and fun (and was) also the only teacher to end a lesson by playing the banjo. Such an inspiration. R.I.P Mr Campbell.”
One said: “Mr Campbell was an amazing teacher at Glenwood HS. I had him for two years and they where the best two years of English I have ever had.”
Another former pupil said: “He was a brilliant teacher, he always went out of his way to help others. He always had a story to tell, a song on the banjo and of course, ‘Gimme ten pushups’.”‘A true gem’Another tribute said: “A true gem & one of those special teachers who make school a special memory even after leaving.”
And, away from the classroom, a friend added: “Alisdair Campbell was a wonderful man and a true inspiration. R.I.P. Mr Campbell, you will never be forgotten and will always be loved for the wonderful little things that made you who you were.”
A former pupil of Queen Anne High School, Dunfermline, Mr Campbell tried to follow his father into the navy aged 16 but he was discharged after basic training following a motorcycle accident. The incident didn’t put him off his love of motorbikes and in recent times he had three bikes, including a motorbike and side car.
He worked for Lyle and Scott, then became a provisions manager for Fine Fayre. He went to the then Kirkcaldy Tech for his Highers, where he met his wife to be.
He graduated from Glasgow University with an MA (Hons) in history, developing his love of hillwalking and rock climbing with the university mountaineering club.
A keen canoeist and cyclist who ”wanted to do something practical” after graduation, he opened the shop Glenrothes Cycles on Kirkcaldy’s Queensway Industrial Estate.
But after three years he decided to train as a teacher, studying for a postgraduate degree in English at Moray House College, Edinburgh.RapportVarious supply teacher placements in Fife followed. In 1990 he secured a permanent contract at Glenwood High, developing a reputation as a teacher who could establish a rapport with ”reluctant learners”.
He remained at Glenwood for 19 years, where he also ran the theatre club, before taking early retirement in 2009.
After a year out, he was ”headhunted” as a supply teacher. Latterly he had been working part-time at Viewforth High, Kirkcaldy, to raise attainment in the run-up to this year’s SQA exams.
A self-taught musician, Mr Campbell had developed as a banjo player and would often reward pupils with an end of lesson banjo rendition in the class.
He was also a well-known face in Howe of Fife folk music circles. He played a session at The Stag in Falkland every Wednesday night and played the Springfield and Ladybank Taverns fortnightly.
He also loved Greece and he and his wife were regular visitors to Crete.
Mrs Campbell, who retired as a teacher last summer having worked as principal teacher of learning support at St Andrews High in Kirkcaldy, plus spells at Auchmuty, Kirkcaldy High and Madras College, said her husband was often stopped in the street by former pupils who thanked him for inspiring them in life.
Mr Campbell is survived by his wife, children Michael (34), Niall (27) and Christianna (26), his two grandchildren, his sisters Lorna and Eileann and his father, Arthur (80), who will play the pipes at Mr Campbell’s funeral on Tuesday.