Bigfork Alumni Association

Who is Gordon Campbell?

That question is answered through the following excerpts from the column Shooting the Rapids with Ken Hickman which appeared in the Grand Rapids Herald Review on Wednesday, July 21, 2004.

Already earning admiration for the arts center now under construction, another amazing story of community involvement is taking place in Bigfork, population a lively 433.

The Gordon Campbell Memorial Track will honor the modest Bigfork junior who won the state high school meet mile in 4:30:06 on June 1, 1948, a record that stood for seven years.

"I started to run years ago because I had to - our house was a mile and a quarter from school, and the fastest way to get there was by running," Gordon told me in a 1948 interview outside the Bigfork store where he worked after school and on Saturdays.

Friends say that the smartest thing Gordy did in high school was to fall in love with Mercedies Ellen Sundquist. They were married in 1950 and had five children. Mr. Campbell died in 1998 after a long career in iron mining.

"Gordy alwasy ran, even in the woods at our cabin," Mrs. Campbell says. She remembers calling, "Gordy, wait for me, wait for me," when a leisurely walk often turned into a run.

Ken Lindgren, who became a highly-respected teacher and coach at Bigfork, had recognized the raw talent in the farm boy and worked to lengthen his stride and improve his breathing.

"I'm not a track coach, just a phy. ed. instructor," Lindgren insisted. But he kept a careful eye on his promising miler. Instead of practicing on a cinder track, Gordon loped along gravel or black-topped roads, sometimes in tennis shoes, often in street shoes.

Lindgren had his pupil run two or three miles a day and took him to Greenway High School for his first experience on a regulation track. Any distance runner knows the difference between pounding a hard-surfaced road and running with spikes on a real track. Packed cinder tracks, of course, are now obsolete, replaced by modern surfaces.

Floyd Hennagir, a leader in the new track project, was in high school at that time and often ran with Campbell during practice. "Most of the time he was out of sight. I saw a lot of his back," Hennagir says. "But he always waited for the rest of us at the finish line - sometimes quite a while."

"Gordon set a high bar for excellence, leading by character," Hennagir explains. "He believed that every person is capable of far greater achievement than they believe possible."

About the Project...

The Bigfork School Alumni Committee, in cooperation with other partners, is seeking funds to construct an athletic complex at the site of Bigfork High School in Bigfork, MN.

The Bigfork School Alumni Committee is made up of Bigfork School alumni, present and retired school staff, and interested individuals. This Committee is acting as project manager. The Edge of the Wilderness Community Center is the fiscal agent.

The City of Bigfork is located in northeast Minnesota within Itasca County. The City of Bigfork and the communities associated with the area lie 225 miles north of Minneapolis/St. Paul and 135 miles northwest of the seaport of Duluth on Lake Superior. The population of the area, commonly referred to as the "Edge of the Wilderness", is approximately 8,000 residents in the winter and 10,000 residents in the summer.

The City of Bigfork is the goods and services center for the Edge of the Wilderness Area. Bigfork, with a population of 469, has been experiencing a steady growth and is the population and business center of northern Itasca County. Located in the heart of lake country, tourism is a significant part of the economy. An active logging industry, including approximately 50 jobs at the Rajala Lumber Mill, and almost 200 jobs at the nearby Bergquist Company, an electronic switch manufacturer, help support a diversified retail and recreation business in the City. Bigfork is a center for rural health care, combining a hospital, medical, dental and eye clinic, nursing home, and senior apartments in the Bigfork Valley Hospital, Clinic, and Communities. Located adjacent to the Bigfork School, there is a new $2.2 million Edge Center for the Arts which has a 283-seat theatre and a fully-equipped Gallery for visual arts. This unique community asset is now in operation and had its Grand Opening in the summer of 2005.

The Bigfork School is part of Minnesota Independent School District #318. At 2,000 square miles, School District #318 is the fourth largest public school district in land area in Minnesota. ISD #318 covers most of Itasca County and is larger than Rhode Island. The District's size offers unique challenges and opportunities which have molded its tradition of excellence. ISD #318, along with other schools in the State of MN, has experienced dramatic budget cuts that will not allow the District to fully fund a project of this magnitude on its own.

The Bigfork School Alumni Committee recently expended funds for a design plan and cost assessment for an athletic complex to address the current and future program needs at Bigfork School. The results of this plan, created by a joint effort of alumni, coaches, school district superintendent and personnel, student athletes, and Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc, have given the Alumni Committee adequate information to move forward and continue to seek funding for the construction of the Athletic Complex.

The target participants for the athletic complex are Bigfork School athletes, Bigfork School physical education programs, and both year-round and seasonal residents who could use the complex for personal exercise or recreational purposes. The need for the addition of a track and field facility is demonstrated by the current lack of a practice facility which leads to training inefficiency and other concerns. The track will be dedicated to the memory of Gordon Campbell, a former Bigfork High School track star who set a State of MN track record for the mile run.

Independent School District #318 has committed land for the development of the project and will be responsible for the maintenance of the facility.

Project Time Line: The Bigfork School Alumni Committee is aiming for a starting construction date of 2008.

WHY IS THIS COMPLEX NEEDED?

Like Gordon Campbell, Bigfork School alumni and the Edge of the Wilderness communities believe that every person is capable of far greater achievement than they think possible.

Bigfork High School track & field participants reach for such achievement every time they compete in area, regional and state meets. They are proving themselves capable because of their desire. Through the years several athletes have qualified for regional and Minnesota State Track & Field events and several have finished among Minntesota's top ten in their venue to become All-Staters.

Despite their decision and ability, these young athletes have no specified place to practice and must find space "catch as catch can". Runners train in the fields or on the streets and back roads of the Bigfork area. Those they compete against do not face such disadvantages. Yet the BHS competitors persevere; they think about the strength, speed, stamina and endurance they need to succeed and they think about making Bigfork and the entire Edge of the Wilderness Area proud.

About 13% of Bigfork students in grades 7-12 go out for track & field, comparable to or higher than other schools in the area. Twenty-seven percent more say they would compete if there were an adequate facility.

The Gordon Campbell Memorial Athletic Complex will provide opportunities for greater student and school achievement and encourage physical activity. The complex's benefits to community can be measured in profit, population and pride. The entire field will have improved drainage. The track athletes will be able to train on a 4-lane, 400 meter half track with a regulation curve, a 100 meter straightaway, and accurate distances for the hurdlers. The discus, shot put, long jump and triple jump venues will be upgraded. The baseball accommodations will also attract fans for Little League and for high school and adult baseball and softball leagues.

A small rural community that has updated academic facilities, along with a new athletic complex and fine arts center, complemented by expanded regional health care facilities and a strong, supportive business community, can contribute to the recruitment and attention of new residents and professionals to the area.

New residents could bring children who would increase enrollment and reverse the downward trend in Bigfork School's student population. The athletic complex may be an added incentive to attend Bigfork School for those students who currently choose other regional schools because of bussing time.

The pride factor is obvious. A school and its ancillary facilities are a small community's focal point. Imagine the pride of students being able to play, practice, and compete in an up-to-date athletic complex. Then imagine the pride of the families, friends, and community members who watch them achieve.

Bigfork's school and its facilities have become the center of social activity for all of northern Itasca County.

In an era when child obesity, illegal methamphetamine use, and other illegal drug and alcohol abuse are at an extremely high level, safe alternatives and opportunities for youth are critical for the well being of a community. Several sources have cited child obesity as one of the biggest problems facing today's youth population. Recently, ISD #318 ranked child obesity as one of the biggest problems facing its student population. Itasca County Sheriff Pat Medure recently described illegal methamphetamine use in Itasca County as an "epidemic". Recreation activities provide important safe and healthy alternatives for youth.

The Bigfork and Edge of the Wilderness communities are now focusing on the Gordon Campbell Memorial Athletic Complex with the same vigor that built the Edge Center for the Arts. The Edge Center has a 283-seat theatre and a fully-equipped Gallery for visual arts that serves as a lobby during performing arts events.

The Edge of the Wilderness Community Center and Bigfork School Alumni Committee strongly believe that recreation venues provide important opportunities for social interaction, physical activity, better health, economic development, and a higher quality of life for the community.

Proposed Track Design:

Budget:

Total Needed for Facility Construction: $206,092.00. Amount raised: Over $134,000.00.

Donations:

Contributions for the Athletic Complex are tax deductible and may be sent to:

BHS Alumni Committee. Attention: Gordon Campbell Athletic Complex

IRS 501(c)(3) Not-for-profit

PO Box 228 Bigfork, MN 56628

Contact Information: Ann McGarry 218-743-3739

ALUMNI COMMITTEE REPORTS "THE END IS NEAR"

BUY‑A‑METER CAMPAIGN IS HUGE SUCCESS

Thank you, Bigfork Valley!

The track portion of the Athletic Complex Project is now funded! Again, our deep gratitude to all the individuals, organizations, businesses, and foundations who bought meters, and to Bigfork Valley Hospital, Clinics and Communities for their generous matching funds totaling $38,050.00.

Presentation of the Challenge Match from Bigfork Valley Hospital, Clinics, and Communities

L-R: Alumni Board Member Bonnie Cole, Director of Finance Karen Campbell, Alumni Board Member Ann McGarry, Alumni Chair Irl Sinclair, CEO Dan Odegaard, Principal Scott Patrow, Athletes Karla Pula and Nicolle Worcester

To read a list of all donors to the Buy-a-Meter campaign, go to the Events Section of this web page.